Cape Town - The 40-year-old foster mother accused of killing 9-month-old Caswell Frans will on Thursday enter into a plea and sentence agreement with the State following a pre-trial appearance in the Western Cape High Court.
Caswell’s remains were discovered on December 20 last year after the Capricorn woman had allegedly placed him in a plastic bag and buried him in a shallow grave in Vrygrond.
Little Caswell had been placed in Morris’s care in April last year, a month after he was born. The mother had trusted Morris to care for her child until she could resume responsibility.
According to court documents, a witness and family member who spoke to the Weekend Argus, had seen Morris assaulting the child on December 17 at her home in Vrygrond.
Morris was seen dragging Caswell by the feet, throwing him on the floor, choking him with her hands around his neck and throwing water in his face. When she realised the baby had died, she disposed of his tiny remains.
She failed to report the incident to police or any other authority and was arrested soon after her family member reported the incident. The cause of death was determined to be “blunt force injuries”.
During her previous appearances at the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court, evidence emerged that Morris had neglected little Caswell before he was killed.
In July last year, Caswell was taken to Retreat Day Hospital, where it was reported that the baby had a fractured arm. “It also came to light that the deceased was malnourished and contracted tuberculosis,” the indictment read.
Speaking on the sentence to be imposed by the court the baby’s grandfather, Pastor Caswell Frans, said: “I want justice to prevail in this matter because it’s no use her pleading guilty because that means automatically that the sentence may be too little.
“She knows exactly what she did to the child, from day one, torturing the child and starving the child, she knew. She must get a life sentence because if it’s a lesser sentence, another child’s life is also going to be in danger.
“She must stay behind bars for the rest of her life because (Caswell) was a piece of gold that she took away from us. We are suffering as a family.”
Morris was charged with four counts of murder, child abuse, neglect and defeating the course of justice.