After finding suspicious bruises on her nine-month-old daughter’s feet, shoulders and neck, Annemarie Theron set up a hidden camera to observe her nanny . What she saw was truly every mother’s worst nightmare.
When it became apparent that Annemarie’s daughter, Laila, was noticeably afraid in the nanny’s presence, both Annemarie and her husband became worried, and as it turns out for good reason.
Footage from the hidden camera (above) shows the couple’s nanny carrying the child into the room by its arm and violently throwing the child into a crib. It is obvious from the babies screams that it is distressed.
The nanny then returns to the screaming infant, picking it up by the leg and walking off screen, carrying the baby upside-down.
“I watched the footage back with my mother-in-law – we had only installed the camera that morning,” Anne Marie told MailOnline
“When I saw what she had done to Laila, I cried and cried. I held my baby girl close and kept telling her I was so sorry.”
“I had so many emotions – betrayed, and a complete failure as a mum. It was the worst feeling I have ever had and never ever want another mother to have to go through that.”
Lila’s Nanny had been recommend to the family by friends who she says now feel “absolutely terrible”.
“They had had no suspicions about her at all, but are now doing their own investigations with the children with the help of a therapist.”
Nicolin Hoeses, the Nanny in question, (with four children of her own), has now been arrested and is currently being held for attempted murder.
Moving forward, the family, who live in Namibia, South Africa, say the hardest thing to live with is the guilt and knowing their child likely suffered the abuse for some time. Annemarrie says she also feels for for the nanny’s four children, and worries over who will look after them now.
By all reports, Lila is said to be “fine” and will soon be starting preschool.
