Rat poison mom to be sentenced

A PRISON sentence will not be suitable for a Tembisa woman who fed her baby rat poison, known as the Tembisa Magistrate ’ s Court heard yesterday.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder for the August 2014 incident. She claimed she wanted to kill herself and the child because she was abused by her aunt.

Department of Justice and Correctional Services probation officer Tshepo Kola told the court that the woman felt bad about what she had done.

He said she was still young and never had a stable family background after her mother died when she was only eight years old and had to move in with her aunt.

“According to the accused, her aunt abused her physically and emotionally. The accused began to have anger problems as a result. She is still young and can be rehabilitated. She has a child who still needs her support to adulthood,” Kola said. He said the woman showed remorse. Defence attorney Jimmy Mahlangu echoed Kola’s sentiments. He said his client’s boyfriend dumped her after she told him she was pregnant. “Her aunt assaulted her and sometimes denied them food.”

Prosecutor Thabo Marema told the court: “Normally, I would recommend direct imprisonment for attempted murder, but under these circumstances it would not be appropriate. ”

The woman said she bought the poison and fried chips at Tembisa Plaza. She laced the chips with the poison and ate with her child. They were rushed to hospital after vomiting and experiencing stomach aches.

The case was postponed to March 20 for sentencing.