Cop uncle turned in mother of baby dumped in drain

Picture: Pexels

Picture: Pexels

Published Feb 22, 2019

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Durban - The woman who dumped her newborn baby in a storm-water drain in Newlands East last week was arrested on Monday after her policeman uncle turned her in.

The woman, 27, who has two children, was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court this week. Her matter was heard in absentia as she remains in a frail condition in hospital. The woman, who is said to live close to where the baby was found, is facing a charge of attempted murder.

A source, who knows the family, said the woman had given birth in the garage at home. The woman allegedly took her 11-year-old daughter with her when she dumped the baby, the source claimed.

She was arrested on Monday, hours after she was admitted to Addington Hospital for haemorrhaging. It is believed she is now in the psychiatric ward and plans to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the woman was under police guard in hospital. The source said the decision to report the woman to the police was taken after a family meeting at the weekend.

The woman lives with her mother, who is suffering from cancer.

“Her daughter’s arrest and the allegations have just made her more sick,” said the source.

The baby was rescued from a storm-water drain after a dramatic three-hour-long operation by a team of 20 emergency workers last Monday.

Her cries were heard by Newlands East resident Lyron Lovedale, who had been walking along Barracuda Road.

The girl was believed to be between one and three days old when she was rescued. She has been moved from Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital to another hospital and was in a good condition, according to the province’s health MEC.

The woman’s family declined to comment.

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