Teen tells court of regular violence between her parents

A cry broke out in the high court in KuGompo City on Monday as a clinical psychologist read from a report detailing how a teenage girl witnessed theabuseof her mother by her father. The cry came from the girl herself, seated in the public gallery, as psychologist Karen Andrews read the line: “My father is the first man to break my heart.” Andrews was testifying during sentencing proceedings in the trial of a man convicted of murdering his partner in 2020. The victim was killed in Maletswai (formerly Aliwal North).

The court heard that the couple had a volatile relationship marked by jealousy andalcohol abuse. On the day of the incident, an argument broke out between them. The man assaulted the woman with a baton before covering her with a blanket and remaining in the home.

Later that day, the couple’s children arrived home and found their mother lying on a bed, injured but still responsive. The man told them he would seek medical assistance. The children reported the matter to a relative.

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When the relative arrived at the flat, he was unable to gain access as it had been locked. He returned later and found the man outside, drinking. After initially refusing, the man eventually allowed him inside. The relative found the woman unresponsive and alerted police.

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