Dad 'sorry' for son's brutal death
2012-01-27 10:40
Johannesburg - A Pretoria man who was found guilty of killing his 2-year-old son, allegedly while high on heroin, has apologised and asked the court for mercy.
Sibusiso Phetla, 29, told the North Gauteng High Court that he was sorry for the death of Solomon Maditla, who died from horrific injuries including a fractured skull, broken arms and legs, a ruptured liver and burns all over his body, The Times reported.
The boy visited his father for a few days in Pretoria in 2008 - a day after Phetla had taken a drug called “Nyaope” - a street name for heroin.
Phetla denied hurting Solomon and said he didn’t know what had happened to him. He at first claimed the boy could have been hurt while at his mother’s. But medical reports showed that the injuries were fresh.
During the trial, doctors testified that the burn marks looked like they could have been caused by an iron, while the blisters were probably caused by boiling water. They believed the skull fracture had been caused by blunt force trauma.
The court also heard that the boy’s mother, Ouma Maditla, was angry and sad and unable to forgive Phetla for the death of her son.
Phetla was a drug addict who had started using drugs at an early age. He said he loved his son and asked the court for mercy.
Phetla was convicted of murder and would be sentenced on Friday.
