His defence was that he was drunk and not in his right state of mind.
After being on the run for more than a month, a 29-year-old man was arrested after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and brutally murdering her three-year-old daughter at Esigangeni in Nongoma.
He was apprehended in the Cottonlands area, Verulam on Sunday afternoon.
The man was charged for murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and appeared in the Nongoma Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
He was said to have assaulted his 22-year-old girlfriend on December 10 after an argument.
The boyfriend reportedly became violent and assaulted his girlfriend before slamming the three-year-old girl against the floor numerous times.
The mother said she pleaded with him to stop, but he continued to assault the young child until she fell unconscious.
He left the scene of the crime immediately afterwards.
The girl and her mother were taken to a local hospital for medical care, but the little girl died due to her extensive injuries.
When the man heard the girl had died and police were looking for him, he left the area and went into hiding.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula congratulated police officers from Verulam for their prompt response to the information, which led to the suspect’s arrest.

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