Convicted killer Amber Lee Hughes suffers borderline personality disorder, court told

A social worker who assessed convicted killer Amber Lee Hughes told the Johannesburg High Court that the woman's borderline personality disorder (BPD) was a contributing factor in the murder and rape of her former partner's four-year-old daughter, Nada Jane Challita, in 2023.

Hughes is back in court on Tuesday as sentencing procedures get underway following her conviction.

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Social worker Johanna Wolmarans testified that Hughes' mental illness led directly to her actions on the day Challita was murdered.

Wolmarans explained that Hughes' personality disorder severely limits her ability to manage intense emotions.

"She cannot deal with frustration. She cannot deal with anger," Wolmarans told the court.

"She does not have the skills, the personality skills, to direct her anger towards the cause of the anger. This was all built up, built up through the whole day and then the incident."

HUGHES TO REMAIN BEHIND BARS

Hughes will have to wait till next year to know her fate.

The Johannesburg High Court postponed sentencing procedures, to allow for the defence to present more evidence in mitigation of sentence.

State prosecutors cross examined one of the defence's witnesses.

But Hughes’s lawyer, Marius Bouwer requested a postponement to 16 February 2026.

Judge Richard Makhabela said: "This matter unfortunately cannot be concluded today [Tuesday], the defence requested the acting Judge President Medians to afford them more days to complete more evidence.”

FOUR-YEAR-OLD VICTIM'S MOTHER HEARTBROKEN

The four-year-old victim’s mother, Amy Johnson, spoke to the media outside court, saying she wants Hughes to know that her child was dearly loved

"That had a mother that really tried her best to get better mentally in order to look after her and having being making that sacrifice of leaving her in order to get better, thinking that you're going come back and raise your child to your best ability, only for her to be taken away because of selfish reasons is absolutely heartbreaking and I will never forgive her."

She said as a family, they were under the impression that Hughes was trustworthy.

"She was a teacher you would entrust her only to find out that she didn't have a tertiary degree. So, the school was also at fault, but she was apparently an assistant, so you know like you still trust a teacher like you entrust your children with them to look after them, when you can't look after them. So, it's very hard to not think oh! This person's going to go destroy."