Pretoria: A man accused of murdering his baby daughter by using her as a club to attack his girlfriend has appeared in a South African court, local media reported today.
Police said it was believed an argument erupted when the 32-year-old Cameroonian man questioned whether he was really the three-day-old girl's father.
Prosecutors told the Pretoria Prison Court that Alexander Forba snatched the infant from her mother, gripped the baby by the legs and used her as a weapon to beat the woman with, Eyewitness News reported.
Prosecutor Sipho Letsoalo said Forba then threw the infant to the floor of their apartment and continued to attack the woman until witnesses intervened.
The woman and the baby -- who had not yet been formally named -- were taken to hospital. The child was pronounced dead on arrival.
Forba, who faces charges of murder and assault, will be held in custody until he returns to court next week.
