News / National
Woman boils new born baby as father denies paternity
04 Feb 2012 at 05:19hrs | Views
A Gweru woman from Mkoba Village 11 allegedly boiled to death her newly born baby on a stove after the father denied paternity.
The incident, which has left tongues wagging in Gweru, occurred on Tuesday. Witnesses said the woman whose name could not be immediately obtained yesterday was reported to the police at Mkoba Police Station by a tenant who allegedly found her boiling the newly born baby.
Police in Mkoba yesterday confirmed the incident and the arrest of the woman.
They, however, declined to give further details and referred this reporter to Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Patrick Chademana for comment.
Efforts to get a comment from Inspector Chademana or his deputy, Assistant Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko were fruitless as the two were said to be in Harare attending an emergency meeting.
When Chronicle visited Mkoba yesterday, the house where the crime was said to have been committed was deserted with neighbours confirming the incident.
"I have never come across what I witnessed at our neighbours'. I was one of the few people who were first to arrive at the scene after the incident and when we arrived the body of the newly born baby was still floating in hot water," said a neighbour who declined to be named.
The neighbours said police at Mkoba Police Station later arrived at the scene and arrested the woman who had been put under "house arrest" by angry residents.
"It was a shocking incident and it is the talk of the neighbourhood, even the police who arrived at the scene and found the body of the baby in boiling water were stunned," said another witness.
The neighbours said the woman, whom they only identified as Mai Petty lives with her child and her siblings.
They said the suspect decided to kill her newly born baby by throwing it into boiling water after a man suspected to have impregnated her denied responsibility.
"She has been long involved in a dispute with her boyfriend who is also from the neighbourhood. When the boyfriend (name given) denied responsibility for the pregnancy, Mai Petty decided to kill the baby by throwing it into boiling water that was on the stove," said another neighbour.
The neighbours said a tenant at the woman's house later arrived and found the body of the baby in the boiling water.
"He quickly informed other residents but the woman quickly removed the pot from the stove and poured the body of the infant into a dish," said another neighbour.
Police sources who spoke to Chronicle said the suspect was denying having boiled the infant.
"In her warned and cautioned statement, the suspect is arguing that the baby could have died due to high temperatures while she was bathing it. She is saying she could have used very hot water to wash her baby leading to its death," said the police source.
They said investigations into the matter were still in progress.
The incident, which has left tongues wagging in Gweru, occurred on Tuesday. Witnesses said the woman whose name could not be immediately obtained yesterday was reported to the police at Mkoba Police Station by a tenant who allegedly found her boiling the newly born baby.
Police in Mkoba yesterday confirmed the incident and the arrest of the woman.
They, however, declined to give further details and referred this reporter to Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Patrick Chademana for comment.
Efforts to get a comment from Inspector Chademana or his deputy, Assistant Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko were fruitless as the two were said to be in Harare attending an emergency meeting.
When Chronicle visited Mkoba yesterday, the house where the crime was said to have been committed was deserted with neighbours confirming the incident.
"I have never come across what I witnessed at our neighbours'. I was one of the few people who were first to arrive at the scene after the incident and when we arrived the body of the newly born baby was still floating in hot water," said a neighbour who declined to be named.
The neighbours said police at Mkoba Police Station later arrived at the scene and arrested the woman who had been put under "house arrest" by angry residents.
"It was a shocking incident and it is the talk of the neighbourhood, even the police who arrived at the scene and found the body of the baby in boiling water were stunned," said another witness.
The neighbours said the woman, whom they only identified as Mai Petty lives with her child and her siblings.
They said the suspect decided to kill her newly born baby by throwing it into boiling water after a man suspected to have impregnated her denied responsibility.
"She has been long involved in a dispute with her boyfriend who is also from the neighbourhood. When the boyfriend (name given) denied responsibility for the pregnancy, Mai Petty decided to kill the baby by throwing it into boiling water that was on the stove," said another neighbour.
The neighbours said a tenant at the woman's house later arrived and found the body of the baby in the boiling water.
"He quickly informed other residents but the woman quickly removed the pot from the stove and poured the body of the infant into a dish," said another neighbour.
Police sources who spoke to Chronicle said the suspect was denying having boiled the infant.
"In her warned and cautioned statement, the suspect is arguing that the baby could have died due to high temperatures while she was bathing it. She is saying she could have used very hot water to wash her baby leading to its death," said the police source.
They said investigations into the matter were still in progress.
Source - TC
