Pretoria - Cameroonian citizen Alexander Forba – the father accused of using his three-day-old baby daughter as a weapon while fighting with the baby’s mother - is a free man.
The State on Thursday withdrew the murder charge against the man, as the child’s mother had disappeared.
Prosecutor Gerhard Maritz told high court in Pretoria Judge Eben Jordaan that without the mother’s evidence, there is no prospects of a successful conviction against Forba.
The mother has moved from the couple’s Pretoria West flat, where the incident happened on February 15 last year.
The investigating officer tried in vain to locate her.
The mother, Joans Akwa, made it clear to the State that she did not want to testify against her partner.
Three neighbours who were said to have witnessed the incident, pitched at court on Thursday after warrants for their arrests were issued on Monday.
They too, refused to testify, but reluctantly agree to come to court after they faced possible arrest.
But Maritz said their evidence alone is not enough to secure a conviction.
It is alleged that the Forba held the baby, called Precious, by her feet while hitting the mother, using the child.
Little Precious died shortly afterwards in the Kalafong Hospital.
Pretoria News