Upington | Monday
SIX men were arrested on Friday night in Louisvale, Upington after a nine-month old baby was raped and indecently assaulted, Northern Cape police said.
Provincial police representative Captain Cherelle Ehlers said that the baby girl’s 16-year-old mother left the child in another person’s care around 10pm on Saturday night while she went out to buy food.
When the baby’s grandmother arrived home, she found the child covered in blood.
Ehlers said the six men, aged 39, 45, 24, 28, 66 and 32 were all arrested by the Upington Serious and Violent Crime Unit because they were so drunk that they were accusing each other of the crime.
Blood samples were taken and would be sent for testing.
Ehlers said the baby underwent a three-hour operation on Saturday and was still in a serious but stable condition in the Kimberley hospital. Ehlers said the baby’s vagina had been badly torn and she had serious injuries to her internal organs.
Ehlers said a sample of semen had been collected as well as blood samples from the men. The samples would be sent for forensic testing in Pretoria.
The men are expected to appear in the Upington Magistrate’s court on Monday. The case will probably be postponed for further investigation and it is thought the all the men will be detained until their next court appearance. – Sapa, DMG reporter