Jeremiah accused charged with rape
CHARGES of rape and murder have been added to the chargesheet of the Factreton couple, after 18-month-old baby Jeremiah Ruiters was killed.
Abigail Ruiters, 30, the baby’s mother, and Ameer Petersen, 28, her boyfriend, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Jeremiah is the 21st child killed in the Western Cape. A few weeks ago, Ruiters left the child in the care of Petersen, who took the child to the hospital, where the baby was declared dead on arrival.
Petersen was subsequently charged with murder and a charge of rape was added.
Ruiters was also charged with murder yesterday. When the State prosecutor Adriaan Jansen said a charge of rape was also added to the chargesheet, family members broke out crying in disbelief.
At that point Petersen tried talking to Ruiters but she shouted: “Go away from me. What did you do to my child?” After that her lawyer asked the court to give Ruiters bail based on the fact that she is a first-time offender. “She is also the sole provider and has two other children aged 3 and 8 years. She is six months’ pregnant, which is a high-risk pregnancy.”
At that stage Ruiters pleaded to be released: “I only want to attend my son’s funeral.” Her release was denied and she will be moved to the hospital section of Pollsmoor Prison. The prosecutor said Ruiters could apply for bail at her next appearance on July 5. He further said that the murder of a child is a serious charge. “It is a charge under the Children’s Act. In fact it is Act 305, Subsection 3A of child abuse. It is a serious charge.”