Mother jailed for 5 years for beating her child

Police have hailed a sentence of five years imprisonment handed down against a 26-year-old woman who beat her young child with a broom stick and beer crate at Newclare‚ Johannesburg.

The mother‚ who is not being named to protect the identity of the six-year-old child‚ was previously convicted of assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm by the Johannesburg Regional Court.

The beating took place on December 10‚ 2017. Captain Xoli Mbele said the mother had accused her child of stealing R400. The child was taken to hospital and to a place of safety.

Mbele said in a statement on Wednesday: "This should send a strong message to the community that crime does not pay‚ that the weed of crime bears bitter fruits. We shall continue to do our utmost best through our investigations‚ to ensure that those who commit acts of crime against women and children are put away for a long time."