Father arrested after three-year-old daughter fell to death from 12th floor window

A 37-year-old man was arrested on Monday for alleged negligence after his Three-year-old daughter fell to her death in Johannesburg.

The child fell from the 12^th floor window of their flat, on the corner of Jeppe and Von Weiligh street.

According to Captain Xoli Mbele, the Gauteng police spokesperson, the father allegedly went to work and left his sleeping daughter in the flat on 18 August, at around 19:00.

“The child fell down from the twelfth floor through the window. She was certified dead by the paramedics, “said Mbele.

Mbele said the father and his daughter lived with flatmates and they would usually look after the baby.

He said: “Usually, the flatmates would look after the child when the father was away. However, on that day, the flatmates were not there, and he thought it would be fine to go to work because she was still asleep.”

According to Mbele no one saw the events leading up to the incident, bit one neighbour called the father after the child had fallen to her death.

An investigation into the matter is currently underway and the father was expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on 30 August.

Brigadier Perumal, the Johannesburg Central Station Commander, advised parents not to leave their children alone and said the three-year-old’s death could have been avoided if her father left her with someone else.

Source: The South African, News24, image from The South African: Pixabay

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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