Cape Town - The mother of slain 1-year-old Orderick Lucas will finally face the music as she is set to go on trial in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court, on child neglect charges for the events leading up to his death.
The allegations of severe child neglect against mother Davedine Lucas came to light several years ago, when her close friend, Melvyn Volkwyn, was found guilty by the Western Cape High Court of murdering the baby in March 2019.
During the shocking trial, which was heard by Acting Judge Nolundi Nyati in 2022, Davedine admitted to various acts, which included blowing mandrax smoke into the baby's face as she considered him “annoying”.
Orderick was last seen on March 24, 2019, but it was only four days later when his mother discovered he was missing.
On April 2, 2019, his tiny body was discovered in a drain a street away from his grandmother’s home, and Volkwyn was charged with his murder.
This followed claims by Davedine that he was the last person to care for the boy. Volkwyn had denied this throughout the trial, claiming that he handed the child back to her.
Davedine was confronted with medical reports showing that the child had suffered multiple illnesses in the months leading up to his death, among them pneumonia, septic sores on his head and nose, ulcers on his genitals and anus, as well as malnutrition and weight loss.
Defence advocate, Susan Kuun also highlighted the level of neglect and extensively questioned Davedine, who later admitted to blowing mandrax smoke in his face.
It was also revealed that Davedine’s mother, Cornelia Scheepers, violated a court order when she handed the toddler and his siblings back to their mother, despite a court order removing them from Davedine’s care.
It was later established that the grandmother handed the children back to their parents as she wanted to celebrate her birthday.
Adamant in her defence of Volkwyn, Kuun ripped into the family for neglecting the child, saying they should all have been held responsible for the events leaving to his death.
After a lengthy trial, Volkwyn was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years behind bars, with the judge describing him as a “monster covered in candy floss”.
Last week, the mother and daughter duo along with a third party appeared in court on child neglect charges and were told that they will go on trial in January next year.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, confirmed the appearance and said: “The case was postponed until January 2025 for trial.”
mahira.duval@inl
Cape Argus