Toddler sexually abused in Letlhakane

Koketso Kgoboge | Thursday March 14, 2019 10:20

 

According to assistant superintendent Tsholofelo Masole, the infant stays under the care of her grandmother. The 74-year-old woman left the child in the care of her 25-year-old aunt and his grandfather. 

The old woman was on a visit to her ailing family member in Lerala. When the woman returned she did not realise anything untoward about her granddaughter until the next day. 

While she was with the toddler she realised that the baby was signalling irritations in the private parts. 

Upon investigating the continual irritations the grandmother found out that the toddler’s vagina was swollen. She immediately took her to the Letlhakane Primary Hospital. Upon consultations, the doctors suspected the toddler was sexually abused, and the matter was reported to the police. 

Masole stated that specimens were taken for further investigations. She said the aunt was taken in for questioning, but she knew nothing. 

She said they only learnt from the preliminary investigations that during the granny’s absence, the toddler had not left the compound. 

Masole said they also learnt that no visitors had come to the compound during that period. 

The assistant station commander said that prompted them to open a probe on the grandfather. The old man is suspected to be around a similar age as the old woman. 

“It is unfortunate because such cases are complicated especially that the victim cannot speak for herself. We rely on evidence from the medical practitioners reports, and we are left to investigate people that surrounded the toddler before we can look elsewhere,” she said. 

“Hence we have opened investigations on the grandfather who was left in the care of the baby. The investigations are still at infancy stage. The grandfather has not been apprehended.”