A vile nursery school teacher sexually assaulted her partner’s four-year-old daughter before drowning her in a bath.

The monstrous Amber Lee Hughes committed the horrific acts against her partner’s daughter, Nada-Jane Chalita, on January 23, 2023. The court heard Nada-Jane’s father, Elie, had left his daughter with Hughes while he went for a job interview.

Hughes became enraged when Elie left without giving her a kiss goodbye, suspecting him of cheating In a terrifying message sent prior to the brutal assault and murder, Hughes said: “You broke my heart; I’m going to burn yours. How could you do that to me?”.

Hughes placed Nada-Jane in the bathtub and sat on her until she drowned. A post-mortem examination revealed that Nada-Jane had been sexually assaulted twice before her death.

Johannesburg High Court in South Africa heard Hughes confess: “I admit that I suffered from borderline personality disorder at the time of the incident but was aware of what I was doing on that day. The event was triggered by the argument I had with the deceased’s father concerning his infidelity, and the final trigger was when he told me that I should stop bombarding him.” 

“I admit that after the deceased became unresponsive, I left her in the bathtub with the cold water tap still running.”

After committing the murder, Hughes attempted suicide three times.

During her sentencing on 27 October, Hughes cited a traumatic childhood and mental health issues as factors influencing her behaviour. The Sun reported that social worker Carina Wolmarans testified that Hughes had been bullied and had attempted suicide multiple times.

Wolmarans argued that Hughes deeply regretted the murder, telling the court: “She said she wishes she could take it back.”

However, Judge Richard Mkabela stated that Hughes’ actions were “clearly premeditated.”

He pointed out that Hughes’ text messages prior to the murder indicated her intent, stating: “The inference is irresistible that [Hughes] made threat of burning Mr Challita’s heart and made good on that threat.”

Hughes began a relationship with Elie in 2021 and moved in with him and Nada-Jane. The court heard that the relationship was fraught, with Hughes repeatedly threatening to harm Nada-Jane.

In August, Hughes was found guilty of premeditated murder and vaginal rape, charges that carry minimum life sentences. When asked about the trial, Elie said no sentence would be enough.

He added: “Obviously, I’m the parent of the child. The justice that I seek doesn’t exist in this world or in this lifetime.”