‘A dog from the neighbouring houses ended up finding the disposed body and ate part of it. Afterwards, it dragged the remains to its owner's house,’ are part of sentence of a 28 year young mother accused of abortion.
Mogoditshane Chief Magistrate , Gofaone Morweng has spared a young mother who was charged and found guilty procuring abortion contrary to section 161 of the Penal Code (Cap. 08:01) Laws Botswana, opting to give her a suspended sentence instead of a custodial sentence.
The Magistrate stated that the young mother has already been judged harshly by the society.
Background of the case is that the young mother committed the abortion when she was eight months along her pregnancy. Following the abortion act, she took the dead featus and placed it in a plastic bag and threw it in the bush. A dog from the neighbouring houses ended up finding the disposed body and ate part of it. Afterwards the dog dragged the remains to its owners house, her neighbour who then informed the police.
During mitigation the young mother told the court that she was unemployed at the time of committing the offence and what made things worse was that the child’s father had denied responsibility for her pregnancy. In the end Magistrate Morweng when sentencing the young mother noted that she was still young, and some social factors played a role in her life choice. According to the court the young mother was remorseful. “The fact that the accused had gone through the process of pregnancy and had terminated the same pregnancy will leave her with permanent emotional scars and that is a sufficient punishment for her,” the magistrate noted.
IN the end she was slapped with a three-year imprisonment wholly suspended on condition that she does not commit a similar offence.
The Magistrate stated that the young mother has already been judged harshly by the society.
Background of the case is that the young mother committed the abortion when she was eight months along her pregnancy. Following the abortion act, she took the dead featus and placed it in a plastic bag and threw it in the bush. A dog from the neighbouring houses ended up finding the disposed body and ate part of it. Afterwards the dog dragged the remains to its owners house, her neighbour who then informed the police.
During mitigation the young mother told the court that she was unemployed at the time of committing the offence and what made things worse was that the child’s father had denied responsibility for her pregnancy. In the end Magistrate Morweng when sentencing the young mother noted that she was still young, and some social factors played a role in her life choice. According to the court the young mother was remorseful. “The fact that the accused had gone through the process of pregnancy and had terminated the same pregnancy will leave her with permanent emotional scars and that is a sufficient punishment for her,” the magistrate noted.
IN the end she was slapped with a three-year imprisonment wholly suspended on condition that she does not commit a similar offence.
