The Pretoria high court has sentenced a couple to 14 years in prison for beating their six-month-old daughter.

The couple left the infant with broken ribs, collar bones and legs.

According to AfriForum, the couple’s conviction wouldn’t have been possible without the intervention of Afriforum’s Private Prosecution Unit, which assisted doctors with opening criminal cases.

“The mother and father denied the allegations but were found guilty of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and child neglect.“ The criminal complaint was filed on 24 July 2020. The sentence was imposed on 20 February 2023 in the Pretoria High Court.

“The baby girl, referred to as Baby N, was first admitted to a Pretoria hospital in April 2020 with injuries that were consistent with child abuse – she was only five weeks old at the time. Her doctors and a private social worker then laid a complaint with the police and the Department of Social Development,” the organisation said in a statement.

AfriForum’s spokesperson Barry Bateman said the allegations against the couple included the baby’s ribs being fractured in 15 places. Bateman added that to their shock, police had decided to close the case due to what they called “lack of evidence”.

“Barely three months later on 1 July 2020, Baby N was admitted again with pneumonia, shock and dehydration.

“She also weighed far less than normal for an infant of her age and was ravenously hungry. Further tests indicated that her collarbone had been fractured two to three weeks before she was admitted.

“An MRI scan showed injuries that were most probably caused by the baby being violently shaken. Both of her femurs were broken, and the signs of several fractured ribs were still visible. The doctors who examined her all agreed that it was likely the result of the baby being repeatedly abused,” he added.

Bateman, however, said a team of doctors approached the Private Prosecution Unit, whose investigators took comprehensive statements from all the concerned parties and compiled the docket which was presented to the police when the second case against the parents was opened.

“It was then that following further pressure from the unit, the police arrested the couple, and the prosecution ensued.

“The evidence collected by the Private Prosecution Unit was presented in court and revealed that Baby N had sustained a total of 31 bone fractures between March 2020 and July 2020.”

In delivering his judgment judge Hennie de Vos detailed how the couple’s gruesome acts were so serious that they deserved the harshest sentence imposed on them.

“Baby N was defenseless and unable to protect herself. She depended on the love, affection, and protection of her parents. Instead of that her ribs were fractured, her femur was fractured, and she sustained a bruise on her chin and prevertebral soft tissue swelling of her neck. She was grossly underfed,” De Vos said.

Bateman applauded doctors and social workers for standing up for the child and refusing to let her suffer any further.

“Without the intervention of the doctors and other professionals, this baby might have died at the hands of her parents. Child abuse and neglect are among the many scourges facing the most vulnerable in society. We need medical professionals and caregivers who encounter such instances to take a stand, as is required of them by law.

“We compliment the prosecutor for her professional and competent prosecution. The same cannot be said for the SAPS. Without the intervention and pressure from the Private Prosecution Unit, the matter would likely have been closed like the previous case. The public is continually told how the government takes violence against women and children seriously, yet we do not see this filtering through to the police on the ground,” he said.