The Seawinds woman accused of kidnapping Zephany Nurse when she was only three days-old was found guilty last week in the Western Cape High Court.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect Zephany’s identity, was told by High Court Judge President, John Hlope that her “fairytale stories” were not convincing.
He found her guilty on all three charges – kidnapping, fraud and contravention of the Children’s Act and revoked her bail.
In the days leading up to the conviction, Judge Hlope wasn’t convinced of the woman’s story that she got the baby from a woman named Sylvia at Wynberg station at the end of April in 1997.
In his final judgment, Judge Hlope said: “One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist.
“Your story of a woman handing you a baby is a fairytale and this court rejects it.”
She was kidnapped from the Groote Schuur hospital in April 1997.
Since then the family have tirelessly looked for the girl but it was only in January last year that Zephany’s biological father Morne Nurse made a breakthrough.
Mr Nurse’s second eldest daughter was enrolled at a Tokai high school and her peers noticed a striking resemblance between her and a matric pupil at the school.
When Mr Nurse realised this, he started his own investigation.
When he was sure that the matriculant was his daughter, he went to the Hawks with the information he gathered for about a month.
The Hawks then conducted a DNA test and it was confirmed that the baby who had been missing for almost 18 years was in fact Zephany Nurse.
Meanwhile, Zephany’s lawyers will be taking on the legal fight to keep the name given to her by her kidnapper. Zephany who will be 19 in April, wants to keep the name given to her by the family who raised her. Sentencing will take place on Monday May 30.