"Cruel" father Hugo Ferreira raped and killed one-week-old daughter while mother was out, court hears

Hugo Ferreira, 37, wanted to give his baby daughter “something to cry about,” while mother Maureen Brand was out selling clothes and buying nappies. She returned home to find her one-week-old daughter had been fatally injured.

The infant had been sexually and physically abused, a court in South Africa was told. She was taken to hospital but died of her injuries the following day.

In Ferreira’s own words, he instructed his now ex-wife to be home within five minutes to breastfeed the baby. He then became irate when she did not return in that timeframe, and his mood worsened when the baby started crying.

Addressing the court, he said: “I grabbed the baby hard at the back of her neck and hit her - repeatedly. In the process, I pushed her head against the surface on which I was working.

“I accept that it was a cruel and gruesome attack, especially on such a young baby. The action was clearly illegal and I did it with intent.”

The court heard how Ferreira was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of his horrific attack, but not to the point where his decision-making was impaired. News24 has reported that he has threatened to kill his ex-wife if he is not jailed.

Ferreira will be sentenced next week, with South Africans campaigning for the baby killer to be given the death penalty.