News / Local
Maid sentenced to 22 years in jail for killing baby
26 Feb 2015 at 19:00hrs | Views
THE maid who claimed she was possessed by an evil spirit when she wrapped a 10-month-old baby in a blanket and stashed him in a linen drawer for crying too loudly while she watched television has been sentenced to 22 years in jail.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha found Violet Moyo, 22, of Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb guilty of murder with actual intent.
Justice Kamocha said it was time to send a message to abusive maids so that they stop abusing defenceless children.
He said a harsh sentence was appropriate although Moyo was young (20 years old) when she committed the crime and had not wasted the court's time by pleading guilty.
"Moyo killed the innocent infant in a very cruel and brutal manner. Indeed stories of domestic workers committing all sorts of crimes against their employers' children are always in the newspapers, but sadly despite those media reports, the perpetrators seem undeterred. Time has come for such people to be dealt with in a harsh and adequate manner," said Justice Kamocha.
He said the callous manner in which Moyo had ignored the child's cries and went on to watch television, showed she intended to kill the child. He dismissed Moyo's defence that she had mood swings because she was two months pregnant at the time. The State's case was that on 1 February 2013, shortly after 7AM, Moyo was left in custody of Ethan Muthabisi Phiri, a 10-month-old child by its parents.
The court heard Moyo was angered by the child's incessant wailing and wrapped the infant in a blanket and put him in a drawer and closed it, before proceeding to watch an African Movie on Television.
When Moyo went to check on the child three hours later, she found him dead and lied to neighbours that the baby had fallen off his bed.
Moyo pleaded for mercy saying she a one-and-a half year old baby boy who would find life difficult without her, if she went to jail.
The story evokes memories of Jolly Tumuhirwe the Uganda maid who was captured on film battering a little girl.
Tumuhirwe was sentenced to four years in prison. The horrific video sparked outrage worldwide and led to Tumuhirwe being called, "maid from hell," "Monster maid," "Satan's helper," "The devil's advocate," among other unsavoury names.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha found Violet Moyo, 22, of Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb guilty of murder with actual intent.
Justice Kamocha said it was time to send a message to abusive maids so that they stop abusing defenceless children.
He said a harsh sentence was appropriate although Moyo was young (20 years old) when she committed the crime and had not wasted the court's time by pleading guilty.
"Moyo killed the innocent infant in a very cruel and brutal manner. Indeed stories of domestic workers committing all sorts of crimes against their employers' children are always in the newspapers, but sadly despite those media reports, the perpetrators seem undeterred. Time has come for such people to be dealt with in a harsh and adequate manner," said Justice Kamocha.
The court heard Moyo was angered by the child's incessant wailing and wrapped the infant in a blanket and put him in a drawer and closed it, before proceeding to watch an African Movie on Television.
When Moyo went to check on the child three hours later, she found him dead and lied to neighbours that the baby had fallen off his bed.
Moyo pleaded for mercy saying she a one-and-a half year old baby boy who would find life difficult without her, if she went to jail.
The story evokes memories of Jolly Tumuhirwe the Uganda maid who was captured on film battering a little girl.
Tumuhirwe was sentenced to four years in prison. The horrific video sparked outrage worldwide and led to Tumuhirwe being called, "maid from hell," "Monster maid," "Satan's helper," "The devil's advocate," among other unsavoury names.
Source - Byo24News
