The man from Welverdiend near Carletonville who previously pleaded guilty to raping and murdering his baby daughter, will be sentenced next week.

Carletonville Herald reports Hugo Ferreira (37) appeared in the Pretoria High Court before Judge Portia Dipuo Phahlane yesterday. Last month he pleaded guilty on the charges of rape and murder.

According to court documents his little daughter was left alone in his care on June 8, 2023. The child’s mother, Maureen Brand, had apparently left the girl with him to go and sell some clothes to buy nappies for the child. When she returned later the day the baby had been seriously injured after she had been physically and sexually assaulted.

The baby was taken to Carletonville Hospital where she died the next day due to head injuries.

Ferreira said in his plea explanation that he was ‘unhappy’ because the mother left the baby in his care. He had told her to be back in five minutes because she had to breastfeed the baby.

The little girl, however, continued to cry because she was hungry and her nappy had to be changed.

Content warning: Readers may find the following details extremely upsetting.

‘Angry and frustrated’

Ferreira said he became angry and frustrated when the baby continued to cry when he tried to change her nappy.

“I grabbed the baby hard at the back of her neck and hit her buttocks repeatedly. In the process I pushed her head against the surface on which I was working. I accept that it was a cruel and gruesome attack, especially on such a young baby. The action was clearly illegal and I did it with intent,” Ferreira said in his plea.

He added that he then ‘decided to give her something to cry about’, after which he assaulted her sexually as well.

“When her mother returned, I realised she would see that something was wrong. I kept the baby away from her until later the day. I did this because I realised the baby was seriously injured.”

He knew he was wrong

Ferreira said in his plea explanation that he knew that what he was doing was wrong and that it could lead to the baby’s death. He continued despite this.

He also acknowledged that even though he was under the influence of drugs, in particular methamphetamine, this did not influence him to such an extent that he was not accountable for his actions.

Both the state and defence concluded their representations in court yesterday and Ferreira will be sentenced during his next court next Thursday.

The crimes took place while Ferreira and Brand were staying in a back room at one of the railway houses at the entrance to Welverdiend.

Captain Jacques Nagel of the Carletonville Detectives is the investigating officer.

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