Zephany Nurse's alleged kidnapper apologises to her biological mom

08 March 2016 - 13:18 By Philani Nombembe

The woman accused of kidnapping Zephany Nurse as a baby has profusely apologised to the child's biological mother for the pain she went through. “I am happy that they found the child‚” the woman‚ who cannot be named to protect Zephany‚ told the Cape Town High Court on Tuesday.“Celeste‚ I am sorry. I did not take your child from your arms. I never went to Groote Schuur Hospital to steal a child.”The woman‚ 51‚ has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping‚ fraud and contravention of the Children’s Act. She admitted to misleading her husband and her family into believing that child was hers.In her plea explanation she detailed her numerous attempts to conceive‚ a number of miscarriages and her desperation to adopt a child. She said a woman she knew as “Sylvia” had given her the child had told her that “a young girl was not interested in keeping her baby and want give her up for adoption”. She said she paid Sylvia R3‚000 for the adoption and fertility treatment.The woman was arrested on February 26 last year after DNA tests had shown she was not Zephany’s biological mother. She was barred from seeing her.Zephany was reunited with her biological parents‚ Celeste and Morne Nurse‚ last year after her sister‚ Cassidy‚ had enrolled at Zephany’s school and their similarity led to an investigation. The state claims the woman snatched Zephany from Groote Schuur Hospital on April 30‚ 1997...

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