Court hears mother in #Durbanbaby case regrets her actions
The probation officer of the Durban mother who led police on a frantic, city-wide search for her baby after reporting a false hijacking last year believes she acted out of fear and immediately regretted her decision.
The officer gave testimony in the Durban Magistrate's Court today on day two of sentencing proceedings.
Testifying in mitigation of sentence, Thembelihle Shange recommended that the mother be given a wholly suspended sentence with possible correctional service.
Shange told the court the woman is her family's breadwinner and her children depend on her.
Soon after the incident in March last year, it was established that the mother's boyfriend and not her husband was the then one-month-old baby girl's biological father.
Shange said she did not want to continue lying to her husband so she focused on hiding the child out of shame and regret. The girl's mother pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice in December.
Sentencing proceedings continue tomorrow.