Preschool Teacher Accused of Rape, Murder of 4-Year-Old

Amber Lee Hughes, a 25-year-old preschool teacher from Johannesburg, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of murder involving her former boyfriend's four-year-old daughter, Nada-Jane Challita. Prosecutors allege that Hughes, who was in a troubled and sometimes violent relationship with the child's father, threatened to harm the child and ultimately raped her by inserting an unknown object into her private parts before drowning her in a bathtub. The child's lifeless body was found in the bath, and forensic testimony confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation resulting from drowning, alongside evidence of sexual assault. The case has highlighted previous altercations and jealousy in Hughes' relationship with the girl's father, with testimony that Hughes had previously threatened the child. The trial is ongoing at the Johannesburg High Court, with further proceedings scheduled.