A 51 year old woman has been found guilty in the Cape Town High Court of snatching a three-day old girl from her mother’s arms 18 years ago and raising the child as her own, a few blocks away from the biological parents
The judge dismissed as a fairly tale the woman’s evidence that she had acquired the child by an informal adoption process after suffering a miscarriage.
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The woman cannot be named to protect the new identity of the kidnap victim Zephany Nurse.
The husband of the guilty woman says he had no idea she had suffered a miscarriage and had believed her when she said the baby was her’s.
He says he will stand by his wife who faces five years imprisonment.
Judge John Hlope says the woman missed a golden opportunity to tell the truth.
He says it must have been her who took the child from the sedated mother.
It’s not rocket science to know that babies cannot be bought in South Africa.
The crime came to light when the kidnap victim’s biological sister attended the same school and noticed their uncanny resemblance.
DNA tests ordered by the parents revealed the truth.
The case has attracted huge domestic and international attention.
Outside the court yesterday (Thursday) a few demonstrators deplored the fact that the accused was being denied access to the kidnap victim.
The biological parents say they’re happy with the verdict.
Zephany wasn’t in court to hear it.
The family is believed to have contracted to sell their story to a publication.