WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, admitted to murdering the newborn after he violently raped her when she was left home alone with him in June 2023
A sick father who physically abused and raped his one-week-old daughter to “give her something to cry about” has been given two life sentences. Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, admitted to murdering the newborn after he violently raped her while she was left home alone with him on June 8, 2023.
The baby was taken to hospital after her mum returned to find her severely injured, and tragically died the following day from head injuries after Ferreira “pushed her head against” a surface. During a hearing at Gauteng Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Portia Phahlane described the acts committed by Ferreira as “brutal, ruthless and monstrous” before ordering he be jailed for life.
She added there was no mitigation to the maximum sentence after the depraved father admitted to raping and murdering the newborn.
Judge Phahlane told Ferreira: “On Count 1 of murder you will be sentenced to life imprisonment and on Count 2 of rape you will be sentence to life imprisonment. There is no mitigation.”
The monster launched his attack while the baby’s mother, Maureen Brand, was out buying nappies – and because the infant would not stop crying. He admitted that he knew she could die, but didn’t care.
The baby was rushed to hospital but tragically died the following day due to head injuries suffered in the brutal assault. In a stomach-churning confession Ferreira said he wanted to give his daughter “something to cry about”, saying in his plea that he was “unhappy” because Brand had left her with him and said she would be back in “five minutes”.
When the mum took longer than intended, the newborn began to cry because she was hungry and needed a nappy change. This made Ferreira angry, and the monstrous, twisted paedophile then launched his attack.
He told the court: “I grabbed the baby hard at the back of her neck and hit her buttocks repeatedly and pushed her had against the surface on which I was working.
In his plea, Ferreira admitted being under the influence of methamphetamine, but said this did not influence his actions. He was placed on the sex offenders register and taken to a jail – where he may need to be held in solitary confinement for his own safety as he begins his life sentence.
“I accept that it was a cruel and gruesome attack, especially on such a young baby. The action was clearly illegal and I did it with intent,” he said. “When her mother returned, I realised she would see that something was wrong. I kept the baby away from her until later the day. I did this because I realised the baby was seriously injured.”
He also threatened to kill the baby’s mother if he wasn’t jailed for his twisted crimes.