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Policeman
didn’t react to baby’s injuries, court told
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TWO WEEKS before a three week-old baby died in hospital of multiple
injuries, a policeman was called to the mother’s home and told that her
husband had assaulted the infant.
Although the cop saw scratch marks all over the child, he did not act. Baby Christiaan (Stian) Oldewage was about two weeks old when Sinoville Constable Marnus Dege was called to the home of Juanita and Christiaan Oldewage. Juanita claimed her husband had assaulted the baby. The husband in turn blamed the scratch marks on their pet kitten. When questioned about this by Pretoria High Court Judge Bert Bam, Dege yesterday said the cat’s paws were way too small to have caused the scratch marks and conceded they might have been caused by a human. He was grilled by Judge Bam, who time and again questioned why Dege, knowing that a crime had been committed, did not do something about it or remove the baby. He said he thought the baby was safe with the mother, although she reeked of alcohol. Dege was one of the witnesses in the murder and child abuse trial of Christiaan Oldewage, 29, who is accused of battering the infant to such an extent that he died on December 13, 2011 – three-anda-half weeks after he was born. Christiaan is not the biological father of Stian, but married the mother, Juanita (Nita), shortly before she gave birth. He now has to face the music alone as his wife hanged herself in August, a few days after she appeared in court for her alleged part in the baby’s death. Yesterday, Christiaan pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse, but elected to stay mum about his defence. His advocate told one of the witnesses that Christiaan would say he had never assaulted the baby. “In fact, he adored Stian.” The baby’s maternal grandmother, Dorothea Engelbrecht, said that about a week before the child’s death, she too noticed the scratch marks, but was told by Christiaan it was the cat. After she saw the kitten, she believed the accused. She and her daughter, Karin Viviers, took the baby shopping two days later, and according to her, he was fine, apart from the scratch marks. Juanita phoned her that night to say the baby would not stop crying, and she went to their flat. “The baby was moaning terribly and we took him to hospital. A nurse said she thought it was just wind. After she patted him, he was better and we went home.” Engelbrecht got a call two days later to say the baby was not breathing. Viviers said the baby died in his mother’s arms. “Nita was very emotional and said ‘please don’t let my miracle baby die’.” Dr Lorraine Prinsloo, who did the autopsy, said baby Stian had 16 rib fractures – two of the ribs were fractured in two places – and a lot of force must have been applied to cause this. He also had a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, an abrasion on his scrotum and bleeding on one of his lungs and on his right kidney. She said especially the fractures to the ribs were new injuries and must have been caused a maximum of 24 hours before the baby died. According to her, all the injuries combined caused the infant’s death. The trial continues. By Zelda Venter The Star 03/12/13 Early Edition |
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Crimes of the South African Police Services
