PRETORIA – A North West father charged with killing his daughter and hiding her lifeless body in the ceiling will finally stand trial almost a year after allegedly committing the crime.
The North West High Court sitting in the Klerksdorp Regional Court has set the trial date for May 30.
It is alleged that on May 13, last year, Mokete Legodi went to his girlfriend’s home at extension 20 in Jouberton and took their daughter without the consent of the mother who was admitted to hospital at the time.
Family members who were taking care of the child assumed that the 47-year-old father would bring her back as he usually did.
On May 14, when the mother got discharged from the hospital, she went searching for the baby with the help of family members, but they could not find her. The father denied taking the child.
She went to Jouberton police station the next day where a case of a missing person was opened.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Legodi on May 16.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said Mokete was charged with kidnapping after failing to tell police the whereabouts of the child
On May 17, neighbours went to investigate inside Legodi’s house after a bad smell started emanating from the area. They discovered the lifeless body of the child hidden in the ceiling.
IOL