MONSTERS ARE REAL

I have been sickened by this for the last few days….

⚠️ ‼️ This article contains graphic details.

Man r*ped eight-day-old daughter who later died 'to give her something to cry about'​

* Hugo Ferreira pleaded guilty to murdering and raping his eight-day-old daughter in 2023.

* He told the court that he raped her to give her something to cry about.

* The State has asked the court to impose the harshest possible sentence - life imprisonment.

Hugo Ferreira severely beat his eight-day-old daughter, who later died from her injuries, because she was crying and then decided to r*pe her "to give her something to cry about".

This was contained in Ferreria's plea explanation, handed to the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria South Africa when he pleaded guilty to murder and rape at the end of February.

Ferreria, 37, appeared in court again on Tuesday for sentencing proceedings, where State prosecutor Karla Germishuis asked the court to impose the harshest sentence possible - life imprisonment.

Germishuis pointed out that as the baby's father, Ferreria was in a position of authority and command but did not fulfil his parental responsibilities.

"He abused this position and raped and murdered his own vulnerable and defenceless daughter," Germishuis said.

In arguing for aggravation of sentence, Germishuis referred to Ferreria's guilty plea and how he detailed why he decided to brutally assault and r*pe his child, which led to her death a day later.

In his plea, Ferreria, who lived in Carletonville, said that the baby's mother had to leave their home to sell clothes so they could buy nappies on 8 June 2023.

"The eight-day-old deceased was left in my care, and I was not happy with that," he said.

Ferreria told the mother to return in five minutes, and when she did not return in the allotted time, he "became angry".

"I decided to become violent with the mother when she returned."

Ferreria said his daughter kept on crying because she was hungry, and her nappy had to be changed.

"I panicked and was angry and frustrated because the deceased just kept on crying while I started changing her nappy."

Ferreria said he then grabbed the baby at the back of her neck and started beating her.

"I accept this was a brutal and vicious assault, especially on such a small baby."

After beating the baby, Ferreria said he then decided to give his daughter something to cry about, which was when he proceeded to rape her.

He said:

When the mother returned, I realised that she would see that something was wrong, and I kept the baby away from her until late in the day. This was because I realised the baby was badly injured.

Ferreria said he knew that keeping his newborn child away from her mother and medical care contributed to her suffering and eventual death.

While the baby was eventually taken to a hospital, she died the following day on 9 June 2023.

"At the time of beating the baby, I understood that beating such a small baby to such an extent could cause her death. I, however, reconciled myself with this possibility and continued beating the fragile baby, reckless of the consequences."

The postmortem report found the cause of death was consistent with head injuries. Ferreria claimed to be under the influence of crystal meth when he committed the acts, but his criminal capacity was not diminished as he acted deliberately and still has a clear recollection of what happened.

A psychiatric evaluation of Ferreria also found that he was fit to stand trial. Germishuis said the crime of infanticide is especially heinous, reprehensible and abhorrent.

"The abuse and killing of infants and children is considered a pervasive and prevalent problem in South Africa, and that given the circumstances in the case, the emphasis of the sentence should be on retribution and deterrence, while rehabilitation has a smaller role."

Ferreria will be sentenced on 14 April.

Rest in peace angel 🩷💐

#AdamWhittington