Mental disorder no excuse for what was done to Nada-Jane Challita - father

The father of slain 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita said that his former lover, Amber Lee Hughes, who raped and murdered his daughter, could not use her diagnosed mental disorders as an excuse for her crimes.

Hughes was found guilty of killing and sexually assaulting the toddler in 2023.

At the time of the incident, she was in a relationship with the father who had left his daughter in her care.

Hughes drowned the child in a bathtub filled with cold water in the couple’s Glenvista apartment.

After court proceedings on Tuesday, Nada-Jane’s father, Elie Challita, rubbished suggestions by a social worker who testified that Hughes’ actions were as a result of mental disorders.

"According to Google, 22.7% of the entire population on this planet have mental disorder, the disability that they are referring to. But I strongly believe that 22.7% of the world are not children rapers and torturers and murderers. That does not give an excuse for what was done."