South Africa: Man convicted of killing girlfriend's toddler to be sentenced
Cape Town – Sentencing proceedings against Pieter van Tonder, convicted of the murder of 16-month-old Asheeqah Scott, are expected to resume in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.
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This comes after a postponement last month due to an outstanding social worker's report.
The toddler was thrown around, burnt and beaten until she died by a frustrated Van Tonder who had lost his patience with the child's mother – his then-girlfriend – who was taking too long to come fetch her baby.
Van Tonder admitted that he was high at the time of the killing after having smoked a "white pipe" of mandrax and dagga in Delft on September 3, 2016.
In his guilty plea, he explained that he was supposed to be taking care of the toddler while her mother did the laundry.
However, he had the little girl with him when he bought drugs instead, and while he smoked them at home with a friend.
Van Tonder claimed he was annoyed because Asheeqah's mother, Shakera Scott, who was supposed to collect her daughter, was running late.
He slapped the child, put a hot "white pipe" on her lips, drove around with her in the car and deliberately braked so that she would fall.
Asheeqah was found to have died as a result of injuries to her head. However, an autopsy also revealed 26 injuries to her face, body, thigh and lips.
Credit: news24.com