The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) has welcomed the judgment that the High Court in Cape Town has handed down on 42-year-old, Mortimer Saunders.
He was found guilty of the murder and rape of three-year-old Courtney Pieters.
The little girl went missing from her Elsies River home in May last year. Her body was found in the nearby Epping Industria nine days later.
NPA spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila says “The accused was not a stranger. He lived in the same house for two years. He was trusted by the child. He was friends with the father. He went out to be part of the searches. He concealed his crime. But it’s a very unfortunate incident. He killed her in a very brutal way and she died a very painful death.”
Judge Babalwa Mantame in her lengthy judgement noted that Saunders actions speak to premeditation. She found that after Saunders had fed the child ant poison which he bought 8 months prior. He didn’t seek medical attention instead he also chocked her.
The court found it was Saunders plan to permanently silence the deceased.
The court further noted that Courtney Pieters died a slow and painful death and was a harrowing experience.
The Court has rejected Saunders version that he poisoned three year old Courtney Pieters to get back at her mother.
Mantame says the crimes committed by the accused were motivated by selfish reasons.
Support for Pieters’ family
Earlier a community group calling themselves “The Concerned Mothers” have come to support the Courtney Pieters‘ family at the High Court in Cape Town.
Suretta Steenkamp of the “Concerned Mothers” says they also feel the pain.
“We are a whole lot of people that came together with the case of Courtney and we help each other out. We know the pain, we didn’t experience the pain but just to imagine what should happen to your grandchild or your baby girl, and that will make you go crazy just to think about it.”
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