The Pretoria High Court this morning sentenced a 37-year-old resident of Welverdiend near Carletonville to two life sentences for raping and murdering his baby daughter, who was only eight days old.

Hugo Ferreira, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to life for the count of murder and to another life sentence for raping his baby daughter.

His name should also be included in the national registry of sex offenders.

While sentencing Ferreira, Judge Portia Dipuo Phahlane, said that there is sufficient and acceptable evidence to sentence him to the maximum sentences for each of his crimes. She also took the degree of extent of the violence and cruelty into account.

“This was a cruel crime that should not happen to any human being. ” the judge said.

“It is utterly terrifying that children cannot play without freedom or fear,” she also said.

“Such crimes cannot be tolerated,” she said, and stressed that the right to life is the most important human right.

Judge Phahlane also ruled that the murder was premeditated and that Ferreira did not show remorse, and cannot be rehabilitated.

“He knew he was going to kill the deceased and went on with his plan to kill her,” she said.

She also said that Ferreira “was stingy with the truth and downplayed his part in her death”.

Among the child’s injuries, she had various injuries to her private parts and anal areas and there was a needle mark in her left groin.

There was also damage to the baby’s thyroid bone, which shows that she might have been strangled.

The injuries showed that Ferreira had taken out his frustration with the child’s mother out on the child and had thrown her on the ground several times after the mother had left the baby in his care.

She further said that the court has a duty to hand out severe standardised sentence according to a decision by Legislature unless there is evidence that a lighter sentence can be given.

Judge Phahlane also stressed that gender-based violence cannot be tolerated.

He has a violent history

Ferreira previously stated that he would kill his former wife if he was released on probation because he believed that she let him down. There was also a possibility that he would kill the baby’s mother.

Ferreira was raised by his maternal grandparents remained in the care of his grandmother after his grandfather passed away.

Had been married for four years, but later set the house that he and his former wife shared alight.

He and the child’s mother had both been using drugs and he had been diagnosed as a psychopath at Sterkfontein Hospital. He has a history of drug and substance abuse and already started using drugs while at school. He had also used the drug crystal meth on the day of his crimes.

Ferreira had assaulted his mother on numerous occasions when she did not give him money for drugs. His mother had testified that she was scared of him.

His mother had also stated that she had spoilt him previously, and had even proposed to take in the little girl who was later murdered. This was her only grandchild.

She agreed that he must be punished for his actions.

Ferreira has five previous convictions, for theft and using counterfeit money in 2017, for malicious damage to property in 2021 and for theft and assault to do grievous bodily harm in 2022.

Advocates Andre Wilsenach and Karla Germishuis were the state prosecutors.

“I feel that justice has been done, but it will never bring back the little girl,” says the investigating officer, Captain Jacques Nagel of the Carletonville Detectives.

A large group of members of the gender-based violence advocacy group Gender Based Violence Brigade also attended the case.

“What is wrong with our society? What can be done to stop further incidents like this happening?” asked Maria Ramatsie of the Gender Based Violence Brigade.

* The article has been edited since it first appeared.