Amber Lee Hughes sentencing: Court warns defence witnesses against going beyond their expertise

The Johannesburg High Court has warned defence witnesses in the rape and murder trial of Amber Lee Hughes, saying some of their testimony falls outside their expertise.

Hughes appeared before the Johannesburg High Court for sentencing on Monday, after being convicted for the rape and murder of her former partner's child, Nada-Jane Challita.

The four-year-old was raped and killed by Hughes in 2023.

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On the stand was a social worker who assessed Hughes.

During her testimony, social worker Johanna Wolmarans shared her assessment of Hughes’s mental and emotional state.

She noted that Hughes was diagnosed with multiple neurological disorders that gravely affect her mental health.

She further determined that she could not be healed from the conditions, a statement that alarmedJudge Richard Makhabela.

"The objection is that you seem to be going beyond what the report has said, and to the extent that it is true that you went beyond what the report has said. You are not qualified to give evidence pertaining to mental illness, since you are not a psychologist and not a psychiatrist. Do you understand that?"

Makhabela reiterated that Wolmarans could only give testimony in her capacity as a social worker and not a clinical psychologist.