The six-day-old baby that was saved. Picture: Middelburg Observer
It’s no longer just that house in Springs that can be described as a house of horrors. In court in Middelburg, a mother of three recently appeared on charges of rape, child neglect and neglecting to report sexual crimes, reports the Middelburg Observer.
The father pleaded not guilty to four charges of rape, as well as a charge of child abuse and of sexual grooming.
A social worker’s report presented to court brought to light awful neglect and abuse.
The woman will be sentenced later and faces possible life imprisonment. Her husband appeared in court briefly on Thursday to determine his trial date. The parents’ names are being withheld to protect the children.
The couple are both still in custody after attempting to flee from Middelburg to eMalahleni (Witbank). The court labelled them a flight risk and denied them bail.
All three children have been placed in foster care and are showing signs of recovery.
The children’s grandmother, who lived in the house with the family, was not charged despite threatening to sic the family’s dogs on welfare workers who came to fetch the children.
This article was translated from Afrikaans.
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