A 37-year-old man from South Africa has pleaded guilty to the r*pe and murder of his eight-day-old daughter, and he is scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday.
Hugo Ferreira appeared in the Pretoria High Court before Judge Portia Dipuo Phahlane on March 25, 2025. According to court documents, Ferreira was left alone with his daughter on June 8, 2023, while her mother, Maureen Brand, went out to sell clothes to buy diapers.
When Brand returned later that day, she found her baby had sustained severe injuries from both physical and sexual assault. The infant was taken to Carletonville Hospital, where she tragically died the following day due to head trauma.
In his plea explanation, Ferreira expressed that he was “unhappy” about being left alone with the baby and had instructed Brand to return in five minutes for breastfeeding. However, the baby continued to cry from hunger and a dirty diaper, leading Ferreira to become angry and frustrated.
“I grabbed the baby firmly by the back of her neck and struck her buttocks repeatedly, pushing her head against the surface,” Ferreira admitted. “I acknowledge that this was a cruel and horrific attack, particularly on such a young child. My actions were clearly illegal and intentional.”
He further stated that he “decided to give her something to cry about,” which led to the subsequent sexual assault. After the mother returned, Ferreira realized she would notice something was wrong, so he kept the baby away from her until later in the day, understanding the severity of the injuries.
Ferreira admitted that he was aware of the wrongfulness of his actions and that they could result in the baby’s death, yet he continued regardless. He also recognized that, although he had been using drugs, specifically methamphetamine, this did not absolve him of responsibility for his behavior.
Both the prosecution and defense concluded their arguments in court on Tuesday, and Ferreira will be sentenced next Thursday. The incidents took place while Ferreira and Brand were living in a back room at one of the railway houses at the entrance to Welverdiend.
Captain Jacques Nagel of the Carletonville Detectives is leading the investigation.
