DURBAN - The case against the alleged child abusers from Phoenix has yet again been postponed, as the Children’s Court decides whether the mother should be allowed to see her four-year-old daughter.
The matter against the 25-year-old mother and her 20-year-old boyfriend, who both cannot be named in order to protect the child’s identity, has been adjourned to May by Magistrate Chris Annamalai, at the Verulam Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
They have been charged with attempted murder after a video of the alleged brutal assault surfaced online and caused a public furore in March.
In the video, recorded by the mother’s boyfriend, it showed the woman allegedly smacking, punching and kicking the four-year-old girl who falls to the ground, screaming. The incident took place in February.
Also read: Mum accused of beating child for wetting herself weeps in court
The pair walked away from court, still on R3000 bail, but with conditions altered.
The male-accused has been banned from making any contact with the victim. The mother has been banned from communicating with her daughter pending the Children’s Court decision in May.
State prosecutor, Ishara Sewnarain, said the child is being housed in a place of safety, where she will undergo therapy.
If the therapist advises the Children’s Court to allow the female accused to see her daughter, the State would further oppose this, said Sewnarain.
The incident where a woman allegedly assaults a child. Picture: Screengrab
The female-accused, dressed in red skinny jeans and a white formal shit, was supported only by an elder man who wore a Fez (Islamic hat).
She sat quietly in the dock and did not acknowledge her co-accused who sat next to her in a formal blue shirt and pants.
When called to stand in the dock he twisted his hands behind his back and assured the magistrate he would not contact the four-year-old girl.
He had a strong support base at the court, with his family also dressed in formal clothes and listening attentively in court.
While the couple’s last court appearance was decorated by angry protesters who demanded the harshest of sentences for the pair, only one protester turned up at court on Wednesday.
Banoo Mohamed, 64, said she would follow the court matter until justice prevailed.
“I am a mother of two mentally challenged children, and I care for them with my life. She (female-accused) has one beautiful child, and this is what she did. And he (male-accused) had a responsibility to protect the little girl,” Mohamed said.
