Her grief is nothing compared to ours, Morne Nurse said after his daughter’s alleged kidnapper burst into tears in court.
|||Cape Town - Morne Nurse appeared unmoved as his daughter’s alleged kidnapper burst into tears in court on Monday, saying her grief is “nothing” compared to what he and his family felt for 18 years.
The biological dad of Zephany Nurse who was snatched from hospital in 1997, was speaking to reporters outside the Western Cape High Court just minutes after the accused stepped out of the witness box.
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The suspect became emotional when she described the last time she saw the child she raised as her own in February last year.
But Morne says her grief at not seeing Zephany for a year is nothing compared to what his family suffered for so long.
The father of four sat in a packed public gallery listening to the accused’s version of events, often bowing or shaking his head during her testimony.
His ex-wife, Celeste Nurse, was absent from court for the first time since the trial started last week, despite it being the first time the accused would be giving her side of the story.
Morne explained that Celeste “needed a breather”, while her mom Marilyn Francis represented her daughter’s interests.
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“It’s still raw for her and I think she just needed a break,” he said.
The 38-year-old father also commented on the recent snatching of a baby at Worcester Hospital.
Ten-day-old Sergio Strydom was kidnapped on Thursday, but was reunited with his mom on Sunday night after police nabbed his alleged abductor in Ashton.
Morne sais Sergio’s snatching opened old wounds: “Whenever you hear about these things, it’s like someone is putting a hot knife through your heart.
“It’s scary though to think that this is the world we live in, but we just have to accept it and protect our children.”
Daily Voice