Woman up for child neglect and prostitution intent
MARBLE HALL – Marble Hall SAPS arrested a 20 year-old woman for child abuse after community members in Koteng informal settlement outside Marble Hall alerted police of screams of a child from a locked shack.
It is alleged the suspect had locked her three year-old boy inside a shack at the squatter camp when neighbours heard him crying loudly for help at about 23:00.
Sergeant Lethunya Mmuroa, Marble Hall Police Spokesperson, said the neighbours contacted police for help who acted swiftly and confirmed the child’s cries were from the shack.
Mmuroa said after police knocked on the door and had no response, they, with intent to save the child, broke the door to gain entry and found the boy alone in the shack.
“They then took the child to the police station for safety reasons. The name of the mother was provided and she was traced and found in Marble Hall town at 02:30 the following morning loitering about the streets for prostitution purposes,” explained Mmuroa.
He added the woman was immediately detained for child abuse and also charged for prostitution. The child was taken to a Victim Support Centre in Marble Hall.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the minor child, appeared before the Groblersdal Magistrates Court on Monday 26 March 2018 for child abuse and loitering streets for prostitution purposes.
She was warned to re-appear before the Marble Hall Magistrates Court on Tuesday 24 April while police investigations are continuing on the matter.
