Africa-Press – South-Africa. A woman convicted of stealing a newborn child 22 years ago was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her victim, will be eligible for parole after serving 10 months in prison, according to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.
The victim’s biological mother died two weeks ago and was buried on Saturday, a few days before the court could deliver its final verdict.
In 2021, the woman had pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
The woman had approached the victim’s mother, who was accompanied by her sister after she gave birth at the hospital in Ermelo.
The woman offered to assist the mother by carrying the newborn baby girl, while the older sister went to the shop. The mother had claimed she was experiencing pain and dizziness.
The woman then disappeared with the child.
The victim was eventually traced by her elder brother, through Facebook, after he saw a profile of a woman resembling his mother.
He followed the page and informed the police, after which DNA tests were done.
When the DNA confirmed their genetic link, the abductor was arrested and charged.
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