/ 20 March 2002

TEEN ARRESTED AFTER BABY LEFT IN THE VELD

A 17-YEAR-old girl was arrested in Deneysville near the Vaaldam on Saturday after she had allegedly abandoned her new-born baby in an open veld, Northern Free State police said. Captain Pauline Earle said in a statement released on Sunday that the girl allegedly gave birth to the baby girl around 2pm on Saturday afternoon and left her in the veld. A neighbour found the baby and took her to a clinic from where the baby was transferred to the Sasolburg hospital. The baby died soon afterwards. The mother was arrested and also taken to the hospital for treatment. She has been charged with murder and will appear in court soon. – Sapa

Saturday March 16, 2002