Minor in court for assaulting pregnant woman, husband

According to Hoedspruit police spokesperson Constable Livhuwani Mulaudzi, the suspect was arrested last Monday and appeared in camera, last Thursday, in court.

Hoedspruit Herald was at the scene when the suspect and a family member appeared at Jolene (19) and Billy-Jerrit Hughe’s (23) home last Monday afternoon.

Herald witnessed the accused and family member stating they were on public ground and the couple could not stop them from being there.

They also requested the couple to withdraw the charge which they had laid against the suspect.

The victims laid a charge after the suspect had allegedly assaulted them on September 18, at Spar in the parking lot while Jolene was eight months pregnant.

‘I had known the suspect before the incident as he had wanted to have more than a friendship with me. I had told him I am a married woman and wasn’t interested in him,’ said Jolene.

According to her, this is why she thought he had become violent towards them on the day of the alleged incident.

‘We were packing grocery bags onto the back of the bakkie when he came up and hit my husband in the face.

I then tried to grab him and stop him, that is when he hit me and kicked me,’ said Jolene.

According to the victims, they had apparently struggled with the police to open an assault case against the minor.

‘We had medical records and we were still full of bruises, but they kept telling us they couldn’t open a case as he was a minor,’ said Jolene.

She said they then went back a few days later to the police and managed to get a case opened.

Mulaudzi responded that the victim should go to the station commander if they felt the case was not properly investigated.

The case was postponed until November 19.