'My child is innocent', says Abigail Ruiters' father
|Published
Ronald Ruiters, 54, father of Abigail Ruiters, believes she was wrongly convicted of neglecting her 18-month-old son Jeremiah, who was raped and killed. Picture: Robin-Lee Francke/Daily Voice Ronald Ruiters, 54, father of Abigail Ruiters, believes she was wrongly convicted of neglecting her 18-month-old son Jeremiah, who was raped and killed. Picture: Robin-Lee Francke/Daily Voice
Ronald Ruiters, 54, the father of Abigail Ruiters, convicted of neglecting her 18-month-old son Jeremiah who was raped and killed by her boyfriend, believes his daughter was wrongly convicted.
He says he will use every possible means at his disposal to appeal the judgment delivered by Judge Monde Samela a week ago in the Western Cape High Court. It is the first time since the murder of Jeremiah on June 12, 2017, and the conviction that the father has openly spoken about how the events have affected him.
Ruiters has been a fierce campaigner for children’s safety and as an undertaker for the past 20 years buried scores of children who have been killed in the violence on the Cape Flats.
“The past week I thought about the court case and the guilty conviction. My child is innocent. Abigail went out of her way to look after Jeremiah and her other children.
“She worked seven days a week. I don’t think that the court acted in a just manner towards my daughter.”
According to him, his daughter is not doing well in prison after her bail conditions were revoked following the conviction.
Ruiters said he won’t be enjoying a happy Christmas and festive season because he will be celebrating it without his daughter and grandchild.
Last week Samela in his judgment said he was of the view that she was negligent in the case of Jeremiah and failed to protect him against her co-accused Ameerudien Peters. Peters was found guilty on a count of rape and murdering Jeremiah.
Sentencing proceedings will commence on February 11, 2020.