Baby-dropping dad released on warning
HeraldLIVE photographer, Werner Hills captured the moment a father threw his baby off the roof of his shack in Joe Slovo informal settlement in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The 38-year-old Joe Slovo man who flung his baby off a shack roof earlier this month, was released from the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court this morning on a warning.
The child abuse charges were retained but he was released due to a petition brought before court deeming him unable to pay for bail as he has no money.
Community members and his 35-year-old wife were elated at the news before the couple returned to Joe Slovo township where the man will be living with relatives.
He has been instructed by the court to arrange visits with his one-year-old daughter who is under the supervision of a social worker in Uitenhage.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesman Tsepo Ndwalaza said: “When he [the father] first appeared, we couldn’t prove any intention to harm the child. There is currently an investigation under way that when he appears before the court again, we have all the facts.”
“We think that the court has dealt with the matter fairly,” he said.
The case has been remanded to May 29.
