Orderick Lucas's family pleads guilty to child neglect charges in court
One-year-old Orderick went missing on March 25, 2019. His decomposed body was found in a stormwater drain by a group of children playing with a ball.
Image: File
The mother, grandmother, and grandfather of slain toddler Orderick Lucas have pleaded guilty to child neglect charges at the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court.
Davidene Lucas, Cornelia Scheepers, and Devon Scheepers appeared in court on Monday, where the state announced that their guilty plea would be forwarded for approval to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).
The matter was remanded to May 7 and the trio were again released on warning until the next court appearance.
The three accused face child neglect charges after Melvin Volkwyn was convicted and sentenced for the murder on September 28, 2021.
One-year-old Orderick went missing on March 25, 2019. His decomposed and maggot-infested body was found in a stormwater drain by a group of children playing with a ball.
The gruesome discovery was made eight days after Orderick was reported missing.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the mother and grandparents of Orderick Lucas, a toddler whose body was found under tragic circumstances, have pleaded guilty to charges of child neglect, raising questions about the failures in child protection. Pictured is the child's mother Davidene Lucas (left) and grandmother Cornelia Scheepers (right).
Image: File/ Ayanda Ndamane/African New Agency/ANA
During the trial, the court heard spine-chilling details of the abuse the toddler had suffered.
During Volkwyn’s trial, self-confessed drug addict Davidene Lucas admitted that she had blown mandrax smoke in her child's face as it would “help him sleep” and admitted that after she learnt that four of Orderick’s teeth had been extracted with a pair of pliers she did not take him to a doctor.
Also during the trial, the grandmother testified that she twice refused to take Orderick into her care after Davidene brought him to her with ailments.
Lucas had not been in legal custody of any of her four children at the time of Orderick's disappearance.
At the time, Orderick and his two siblings were placed in the care of the grandparents on January 8 2019 following an order from a Children’s Court.
The placement of the siblings into foster care followed an investigation into the domestic circumstances of the Lucas household.
Although expressly forbidden by the court order, the children occasionally spent weekends with Davidene instead of being with their grandparents.
The siblings have since been placed in foster care at places of safety.