A South African woman who kidnapped and sold her six-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life in prison.
Joshlin Smith disappeared from her house in Baldanha Bay, a fishing city 135 kilometers north of Cape Town in February last year.
She has never been found.
Joshlin Smith disappeared from her house in February 2024. ((Leveld: South African Police Services/Handout via Reuters))
Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were found guilty of kidnapping and selling the young girl, reportedly for 20,000 edge ($ 1,700).
On Thursday, the local time, Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that Smith, 35, and her two co-features are imprisoned for life for human trafficking.
They were all sentenced to a simultaneous imprisonment of 10 years for kidnapping.
“I also order the import of your names at the Child Protection Register,” said Judge Erasmus.
“There is nothing that I can find that a lesser sentence relieves and earns than the toughest I can impose.“
Kelly Smith’s Accomplices Jacquen Apollis and Steveno van Rhyn. ((Reuters: Have fun))
‘No indication of regret’
Smith was present at the court and went on with an uncertain look through the hours.
The judge said that the mother of three was manipulative and “no indication of remorse” or concerned about the disappearance of her daughter.
The verdict pulled cheers in court.
Joshlin’s grandmother was also present in the court in a white shirt that is decorated with images of the young girl.
The grandmother of Joshlin Smith (right) was in the trial. ((Reuters: Shafiek Tassiem))
Smith initially attracted sympathy when her child disappeared and led to an enormous national search operation.
Photos of Joshlin have flooded the internet, with a minister who offers a reward of a million edge ($ 87,000) for her safe return.
Court heard girl sold to traditional healer
Smith said she had left Joshlin with her boyfriend, Jacquen Appollis, on the day she disappeared, but the case took a shocking turn when Smith was arrested.
During the process that Smith had told her, a woman witnessed that she and her henchmen had sold Joshlin to a traditional healer who wanted the child for her body parts.
The judge did not draw any conclusions about who the child was sold or exactly what happened to her, but said she was sold for slavery or practices that are similar to slavery.
Kelly Smith has been sentenced to life in prison. ((Reuters: Have fun))
Witnesses in the process that started in March include the teacher of the girl and a pastor, who said the mother had told him about the planned sale of her child in 2023.
The police said on Thursday that they had expanded the search outside the borders of South Africa.
South Africa has one of the highest crime figures in the world and the kidnapping of children is increasing.
There were more than 17,000 abductions in South Africa in the financial year 2023-24, an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous year, according to police statistics.
The data does not specify the ages of the victims.
Reuters/AFP
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