African woman refuses to reveal where her brown-eyed daughter was sold

African woman sells her dark-skinned, colored-eyed daughter.

 

African woman refuses to reveal where her brown-eyed daughter was sold

Mother sentenced to life in prison says daughter was put in container bound for West Africa, A South African court on Thursday sentenced a woman to life in prison for kidnapping and selling her six-year-old daughter, in a case that has rocked the country.

Joshlyn Smith went missing in February of last year from her home in Saldanha Bay, a small town 135 kilometers north of Cape Town, and has never been found. Her mother, Raquel "Kelly" Smith, was convicted of kidnapping and selling the little girl for 20,000 rand ($1,100), according to press reports. Judge Nathan Erasmus also sentenced Smith, 35, and her two co-defendants—her partner and a mutual friend—to life imprisonment for human trafficking. They were all also sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping.

"I also order that your names be registered on the child protection register," Erasmus said. He added, "I find nothing that justifies what happened and warrants a lesser punishment than the harshest I can impose." Smith and her co-defendants declined to testify during the trial or call any witnesses in their defense, but more than 30 people were called to tell the court about Joshlene's turbulent life and disappearance.

Smith attended the trial and remained impassive throughout the hour-long hearing. The judge said the mother of three showed "no remorse" or concern about Joshlene's disappearance. The verdict was met with cheers in the courtroom. Joshlene's grandmother also appeared in court, wearing a white T-shirt with a picture of the little girl.

The grandmother, who is now the caregiver for her daughter's eldest daughter, pleaded with Smith before the verdict: "Bring back my granddaughter or tell me where she is." The grandmother, Amanda Smith-Daniels, later told local broadcaster Newsroom Africa: "I don't think any sentence they hand down will bring back my granddaughter." Smith initially sparked a wave of sympathy when her daughter disappeared, sparking a nationwide search.