Court denies sentence appeal of mother convicted for two-year-old daughter’s murder
The Johannesburg High Court has denied a prison sentence appeal application by a woman found guilty of murdering her two-year-old daughter.
Rochelle Botha approached the court to appeal her 25-year prison sentence after she and boyfriend, Stefan van Niekerk, were convicted and sentenced for her daughter Chevonne Rusch's murder.
The couple faced charges of murder, rape, attempted murder, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect and were handed life sentences and 25 years imprisonment each.
IOL previously reported that Chevonne's death sparked an investigation after she was rushed to the Wannenburg Clinic in May 2022 with head trauma, bleeding and bruises. The young child died at the medical facility.
During the trial, the pathologist assigned to Chevonne’s case revealed the extent of the cruelty involved. Her body was covered in 49 injuries and the cause of death was severe bleeding on her brain after head trauma.
Following the sentence, Both applied for leave to appeal her sentence which has been rejected.
Action Society spokesperson, Juanita du Preez, welcomed the court's decision.
"This desperate and pathetic ploy from Rochelle further illustrates how little remorse she has for what she did. She can complain all she wants, but fortunately justice is done and she is facing a very long time in prison where she belongs,“ she said.
Du Preez added that Action Society will keep fighting for the same justice for children whose parents not only fail in their primary care-giving tasks, but exploit, abuse and murder their children.
IOL News