A woman in South Africa has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of kidnapping and selling her six-year-old daughter, in a case that shocked the nation, reports RTE.
Joshlin Smith vanished in February last year from her home in Saldanha Bay, a coastal town around 135km from Cape Town, and has not been found since.
Her mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, was convicted of abducting and selling the child, allegedly for 20,000 rand (€990), reports RTE.
Judge Nathan Erasmus sentenced the 35-year-old, along with her boyfriend and a mutual friend, to life imprisonment for human trafficking.
All three were also handed a concurrent 10-year sentence for the kidnapping charge.
“I am also ordering the entry of your names to the child protection register,” Judge Erasmus ruled, reports RTE.
“There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose,” he said, reports RTE.
Smith appeared in court during the hour-long sentencing, showing no emotion throughout.
The judge described her as manipulative and said she displayed “no indication of remorse” or concern for what had happened to Joshlin.
The courtroom erupted in cheers following the verdict, reports RTE.
Joshlin’s grandmother attended the hearing, wearing a white shirt printed with photos of the young girl.
Initially, Smith drew sympathy as a grieving mother following her daughter’s disappearance, prompting a major nationwide search.
Images of Joshlin — with her green eyes, wide smile, and brown pigtails — were widely shared online, reports RTE.
The case captured public attention, even prompting a government minister to offer a one-million-rand reward for the girl’s safe return.
However, the investigation shifted focus when prosecutors claimed Smith sold her daughter to a traditional healer who was drawn to her eye color and light skin, reports RTE.
The judge did not clarify in court who the buyer was or the exact motive.
Among the witnesses in the trial, which began in March, were the child’s teacher and a pastor, who testified that Smith had discussed selling her daughter as early as 2023, reports RTE.
Police confirmed today that the search has now expanded beyond South Africa’s borders.
The country faces one of the highest crime rates globally, and child abductions are on the rise.
More than 17,000 kidnappings occurred during the 2023/2024 financial year in South Africa — an 11% increase from the previous year, police data shows. The statistics do not detail the ages of the victims, reports RTE.
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