Mom and boyfriend face attempted murder charges for beating 4-year old unconscious

A man and woman accused of beating a four-year-old girl to the point where she fell unconscious – all because the girl scuffed the man’s shoes – will now be charged with attempted murder.

A video of the beating‚ which showed the girl’s mother kicking and punching the prostrate child‚ was circulated widely on social media.

The pair‚ who have not been named to protect the identity of the child‚ appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court last week.

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said that the two had initially been charged with assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm and released on bail of R3‚000 each. The charge was later amended to one of attempted murder.

“A 25-year-old woman was at her home with her four-year-old child and her boyfriend. It is alleged that the four-year-old accidentally tramped the boyfriend’s shoes and as a result he began to assault the child by punching her and also threw her against a cabinet‚” she said.

“It is further alleged that the boyfriend threatened to kill the complainant if she did not assault the victim as well.”

She said that the child was rushed to a local clinic and thereafter transferred to a hospital for medical attention.