News / Regional
'Poor mum' kills, buries baby in shallow grave
12 Aug 2015 at 08:56hrs | Views
POLICE in Binga have arrested a 22-year-old woman who strangled her newborn baby and buried the body in a shallow grave.
Mequiret Kele, from Chief Pashu area in Binga told investigators she committed the crime because she had no means to raise the baby. She said she thought the baby would have suffered if she had allowed it to survive.
Kele was arraigned before Hwange magistrate Portia Mhlanga to answer to a charge of infanticide.
Mhlanga convicted Kele on her own plea of guilty.
"I couldn't keep the baby because I had no means to take care of it," she told the magistrate.
The magistrate remanded Kele in custody to tomorrow for sentencing.
Prosecuting, Onias Nyathi told how Kele concealed the pregnancy and delivered the baby by herself in the bush in May this year.
"On a date not known to the prosecutor but between May 14 and May 18 this year, the accused went to fetch firewood in the bush near her village. While there, the accused gave birth to a baby and strangled it before burying the body in a shallow grave," said Nyathi.
He said neighbours who suspected foul play after seeing that Kele no longer had the pregnancy alerted the police.
Kele admitted to investigators that she gave birth and killed her baby.
Police arrested her and took her to St Patrick's Hospital in Hwange where it was proved that she had given birth.
She led police for indications in the bush but could not locate the exact place where she had buried the baby.
Mequiret Kele, from Chief Pashu area in Binga told investigators she committed the crime because she had no means to raise the baby. She said she thought the baby would have suffered if she had allowed it to survive.
Kele was arraigned before Hwange magistrate Portia Mhlanga to answer to a charge of infanticide.
Mhlanga convicted Kele on her own plea of guilty.
"I couldn't keep the baby because I had no means to take care of it," she told the magistrate.
The magistrate remanded Kele in custody to tomorrow for sentencing.
"On a date not known to the prosecutor but between May 14 and May 18 this year, the accused went to fetch firewood in the bush near her village. While there, the accused gave birth to a baby and strangled it before burying the body in a shallow grave," said Nyathi.
He said neighbours who suspected foul play after seeing that Kele no longer had the pregnancy alerted the police.
Kele admitted to investigators that she gave birth and killed her baby.
Police arrested her and took her to St Patrick's Hospital in Hwange where it was proved that she had given birth.
She led police for indications in the bush but could not locate the exact place where she had buried the baby.
Source - chronicle
