Celeste Nurse baby kidnapping case to start in February

THE woman from Lavender Hill alleged to have kidnapped a newborn baby at Groote Schuur Hospital 18 years ago and raised the child as her own appeared in the Western Cape High Court yesterday for a pre-trial conference.

Advocate Bonnie CurrieGamwo, a deputy director in the Western Cape Directorate for Public Prosecutions, is to prosecute the case and attorney Reaz Khan is to undertake the defence.

The woman accused of kidnapping the baby may not be named to protect the new identity of the teenage girl. The woman is to be indicted on charges of kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act.

Judge MJ Dolamo scheduled the case to start on February 22, with the matter expected to run until March 10.

It is alleged the woman took the baby from Groote Schuur Hospital on March 30, 1997. The baby had been born by caesarean section two days earlier. According to the indictment, the accused befriended the baby’s mother and “convinced her to hand over her daughter so that she could sleep”.

Staff later woke the mother, Celeste Nurse, to inform her her baby daughter was missing.

Despite a nationwide search, the child was only found earlier this year, living close to her biological parents and attending the same school as her younger biological sister. Her biological parents have attended the court appearances of the accused since her arrest in February.

The girl’s younger biological sister started Grade 8 at the same school as her this year and the two struck up a friendship after being introduced because of their remarkable resemblance. Her parents immediately thought she could be their kidnapped daughter and informed police.

Subsequent DNA tests confirmed she was their child. The accused was arrested.

The accused is out on bail of R5000, but may not have any contact with the child. – ANA