26-year-old convicted killer Amber-Lee Hughes appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Monday.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
The pre-sentencing arguments in the case of self-confessed child killer 26-year-old former teacher, Amber-Lee Hughes, was postponed to Tuesday following a special request by her legal team for more time to consult with their client.
Nada Jane Challita was raped and drowned in a bathtub filled with cold water in an East Rand apartment on 23 January, 2023.
Nada Jane was the daughter of her former partner.
The incident occurred after Hughes and the child’s father had an altercation, during which Hughes sent a text message stating that she would “burn Elie Challita’s heart the way he had done hers”.
On Monday, the court heard from correctional services senior officer Daphne Nkhensani Makhubele, who testified about the living conditions at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, where Hughes may find herself serving a significant part of her sentence.
Makhubele also testified on the psychological assistance provided by the department, saying that despite the many challenges at the overcrowded Johannesburg Correctional Centre, known as Sun City prison, officials do their best to ensure the well-being of their inmates.
"The Johannesburg Correctional Centre was built to accommodate 711 inmates. Unfortunately, we have an overcrowding rate of 200.14%. As a centre, we try by all means to provide basic needs for our inmates. These include healthcare, accommodation and education for both the sentenced and unsentenced inmates," she stated.
The court hearing also highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by Hughes' defence team. Her lawyer Marius Bouwer, told the court he intended to call Hughes to provide testimony but requested the case be postponed to allow proper consultation.
It has now been three years since Hughes was arrested for the child’s rape and murder.
The case has faced multiple delays, from Hughes claiming she was not mentally fit to stand trial to dismissing her previous legal team and later making shocking submissions in which she confessed to the murder.
Nada Jane was assaulted and killed in January 2023 after being left in Hughes’s care.
The child's father, Elie Challita, speaking to members of the media following Monday's proceedings, said that Hughes was not remorseful and had failed to take full responsibility for her actions.
"No amount of remorse will ever be enough for what happened to my daughter. As you can see, the accused has two public personas, one for the media and the court, and one directed at me. So, there can be no remorse that is enough for me," he said.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za