A Gqeberha couple faced justice on Friday 15 May, for the murder and deliberate neglect of a 19-month-old toddler. The conviction came 13 years after her death.
The Gqeberha High Court convicted Robin Clarke and Kristen Clarke for the murder and neglect of Krisley Faith Dirker. The Hawks confirmed the sentencing in an official statement.
What happened to Krisley
On Thursday 10 October 2013, a severely injured toddler arrived at the Westring Medicross Hospital in Gqeberha. She had sustained catastrophic blunt force trauma to the head and multiple injuries across her body, the Hawks (the South African Police Service’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) said.
Robin Clarke was caring for the child while her biological mother was at work, according to the statement.
Krisley died a few days later, and what began as an abuse investigation became a murder inquiry.
At the time, Krisley was living with her mother, Kristen Clarke, and her stepfather, Robin Clarke, at the time of her death.
Autopsy results confirmed she died from repeated blows, not an accident. AsPE Express previously reported, Judge Vuyokazi Noncembu found Clarke guilty of murder on Tuesday 9 December 2025.
In 2020, authorities transferred the case to the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation division in Gqeberha, the statement said. Investigators strengthened the evidential foundation of the case, obtained warrants of arrest, and arrested the accused in 2022.
The sentences
The court sentenced Robin Clarke to five years in prison for child abuse and 15 years for murder. Both sentences run cumulatively, giving an effective 20 years of direct imprisonment.
Kristen Clarke received five years’ wholly suspended, for child neglect. She also received two years of correctional supervision, incorporating community service obligations.
Maj Gen Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, provincial head of the Hawks, praised the investigating team and all stakeholders who contributed to securing justice. The statement described the case as one that “profoundly shocked the conscience of society.”
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