Cape Town, South Africa – A South African woman was in trial on Monday accused of kidnapping and selling to his little daughter in a case that won national attention.
Kelly Smith is accused with her partner and another man about him Disappearance of his daughter Joshlin More than a year ago. Joshlin, who was 6 years old when he disappeared, is still missing after a police hunt nationwide.
Smith, whose full name is Racquel Chantel Smith, was accused of kidnapping and trafficking in people. The prosecutors alleged who organized the kidnapping of their daughter in exchange for payment with the help of their partner Jacquin Apollis and his friend Steveno Van Rhyn.
The three defendants declared themselves innocent of the charges when the trial opened in a sports hall in the small coastal city of Saldanha Bay. The trial was transferred to the hall to give community members the opportunity to attend.
Smith won sympathy in South Africa in the early days of Joshlin’s disappearance and the neighbors joined to help the police look for the child in sand dunes near the impoverished settlement of huts and small houses where they lived. Smith said he left Joshlin with Apollis the day he disappeared in February 2024 and had not seen her again.
The case received a shocking turn when the police took Smith to interrogate and then arrested her. Another woman who was arrested was not accused and, according to the reports, she must testify as a state witness.
The prosecutors said in the accusation that Smith had been planning to sell to Joshlin and his other two children since August 2023. Only Joshlin disappeared. They also alleged that Smith and Joshlin were seen in a white vehicle with a clothing bag the day that the girl was reported as missing.
The case has caused anger in the community. The crowds gathered outside Sports Hall, singing “we want Joshlin back,” according to local media reports.
Judge Nathan Erasmus said that the three defendants could face life imprisonment if they are convicted.
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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
