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Man who raped and murdered his baby son, had also tried to burn his family alive, court hears

A man who was convicted of the rape and murder of his baby son had that same month attempted to burn his family alive, court papers reveal.

Charles Witbooi, who was recently sentenced in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Worcester to two life sentences and an additional three years for grievous assault, kidnapping and malicious damage to property, in May last year threatened to set his girlfriend, Angelique Britz, and their children alight before starting a fire inside their Avian Park home with his family’s clothes, the State’s summary of facts reads.

Britz had managed to extinguish the fire. Witbooi had assaulted her and locked her and their children in the house, barring her from leaving.

Later that same month - on May 29, 2017 - Britz had gone to work.

She left the three children – aged five, two and one – in Witbooi’s care.

Police later received information from a local hospital that a child had died, allegedly as a result of a gang fight that morning.

READ: Worcester man gets life in jail for raping, killing own son

A confirmed fight over turf had taken place between members of the Junior Cisko Yakkies and Uitbyters gangs in Avian Park on the day.

According to police, Witbooi had alleged that members of the Young Red Criminals gang had pelted him with stones and killed the child while he was carrying him.

But one-year-old Charleston Britz’s injuries told a different story.

According to the State, Charleston died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

Witbooi is understood to have hit him with a blunt object.

Injuries to the baby’s anus also indicated that he had been raped.

The two-year-old child had also been shoved into a makeshift stove, resulting in him sustaining extensive burn wounds, the State alleged. Witbooi was, however, acquitted of this.

He was on Friday sentenced to two life terms for murder and rape. He was also sentenced to two years in jail for kidnapping, a year in jail for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and three months imprisonment for malicious damage to property.

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