CAPE TOWN - The mother of a South African girl, who disappeared aged six more than a year ago, has been convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her daughter. Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested after Smith's daughter,...
Joshlin, went missing from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, in February last year.
Appollis and Van Rhyn were also found guilty on Friday of kidnapping and trafficking Joshlin. All three had previously pleaded not guilty to these charges. Joshlin's disappearance sent shockwaves across South Africa and despite a highly publicised search for her, she is yet to be found.
During the trial, held in March, prosecutors accused Smith of having "sold, delivered or exchanged" Joshlin and then lied about her disappearance. Smith wiped tears from her eyes when the guilty verdict was read, while Van Rhyn inexplicably broke into a smile.
Applause rippled through the packed courtroom and some onlookers began to cry. Smith's mother was in attendance and after the hearing finished, she said she was "angry" with her daughter and did not want to see her.
"She must tell me where my grandchild is," Amanda Daniels-Smith told reporters. Smith, Van Rhyn and Appollis could face life in prison - a date for sentencing is yet to be set. In a statement following the judgment, the police said they would continue in their search for Joshlin. (BBC)
