A woman was convicted by the High Court yesterday of killing her six-month-old baby by hitting him multiple times on the floor in 2019.
“The State has proven that the accused flung and hit the deceased on the floor multiple times, causing injuries that resulted in his death,” said judge Claudia Claasen.
Claasen found 30-year-old Priscilla Daukeline Stuurman guilty of murder with a direct intent for the death of her baby boy, Stiaan Cidio Stuurman, after dismissing her version. Baby Stiaan died at hospital on 24 December 2019 as a result of traumatic head injuries.
The court found that despite there being no eyewitness, there is, however, evidence that Stuurman did not want the baby and threatened to kill him. There is also evidence of abandonment.
During the trial, it was revealed that on 23 December 2019 at Aussenkehr in the //Kharas region, Stuurman told witnesses she would kill baby Stiaan, and she further refused to breastfeed the infant.
State witness Estina Hanse told the court that Stuurman did not want the child and regularly left him abandoned for hours, and she often refused to breastfeed him.
It is further alleged that during the evening hours of the same night, she fractured the baby’s skull by hitting his head multiple times on the ground, whereafter she reported to neighbours that she had murdered the infant.
In her defence, Stuurman said she never intended to kill her son.
According to her, the incident happened while she was busy breastfeeding the child and stood up to smoke outside.
In her plea, she indicated that it was very dark in the room. During that time, she also stumbled because of the alcohol she had consumed. The victim then fell out of her arms onto the sand surface.
Following her conviction, the court revoked her bail, and she is to be remanded at the Klein Windhoek police station.
Lawyers Milton Engelbrecht and Taodago Gaweseb will submit their pre-sentencing arguments on 17 August.