A South African woman has appeared in court accused of kidnapping and selling her underage daughter, a case that has captured the attention of the country.
Kelly Smith is accused of aiding her partner and another man in the disappearance of her daughter Joshlyn more than a year ago.
Joshlyn, who was six years old at the time of her disappearance, remains missing after a nationwide police search.
Smith, whose full name is Raquel Chantelle Smith, was charged with kidnapping and human trafficking.
Prosecutors allege she orchestrated her daughter's kidnapping for a fee, along with her partner, Jacqueline Appollis, and friend, Steven van Ryn.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges as the trial began in a gym in the small coastal town of Saldanha Bay.
The court hearing was moved indoors to allow community members to attend.
In the days following Joshlyn's disappearance, Smith gained sympathy across South Africa, with neighbours rallying to help police search for the child in the sand dunes near the poor community where they lived.
Smith claimed she left Joshlyn with Appollis on the day she disappeared in February 2024 and never saw her again.
The case took a shocking turn when police called Smith in for questioning and then arrested her.
Another woman arrested has not been charged and is expected to testify as a prosecution witness.
In the indictment, prosecutors said Smith planned to sell Joshlyn and her two other children beginning in August 2023. Of them, only Joshlyn went missing.
They also claimed that Smith and Joshlyn were seen getting into a white car with a bag of clothes on the day the girl was reported missing.
This incident caused public outrage.
Local media reported that a crowd gathered outside the gym shouting, “We want Joshlyn back.”
Judge Nathan Erasmus said the three defendants could face life sentences if found guilty.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
