On June 10 Adrian van Wyk was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for the murder of Melonique Klassen which took place March 23, 2018.
Van Wyk pleaded guilty to the four charges brought against him. The charges were murder, theft, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
In his plea, Van Wyk admitted to killing Klassen on March 23, 2018, following an altercation with the deceased.
He said that he met the deceased per chance at a social place where he got his hands on her cell phone. He was previously in a relationship with the deceased but had separated and Klassen had taken out a protection order against him.
In his statement, he told the court the phone was ringing and the call was from a new boyfriend who dropped the call as soon as he answered.
He reportedly saw WhatsApp messages on the phone that confirmed that Klassen was romantically involved with the person.
Van Wyk then told the deceased she must take him back otherwise he would kill her.
Van Wyk left the premises and went to have dinner with his sister, an EMPD officer. This is where, according to testimony, he stole the firearm used in the murder, a Glock 17 and 16 rounds of 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition. Van Wyk then proceeded to use the weapon to murder Klassen in the streets of Eden Park.
In his plea, Van Wyk claimed that he would be living with the guilt of murdering the love of his life and that no sentence the court could place on him could eclipse that.
He also expressed his wish to have the opportunity to apologise to the family of Melonique Klassen and his own family for his actions. The plea was read out by state prosecutor, Adele de Klerk, and Van Wyk agreed that everything in the plea was accurate.
Behind bars
The state prepared a proposed sentence together with the defense attorney, Lutendo Musekwa, and the mother of the deceased.
The proposed sentence was influenced by three considerations: the seriousness of the crimes committed, the interests of the community and the personal remorse Van Wyk feels over his actions.
The crime, was according to the state, was callous and premeditated. The accused intended to murder the deceased and had planned the attack ahead of time. The effect on the community was deemed to be significant as femicide is a major concern in South Africa and the safety of women in the community should be considered.
The state felt that Van Wyk showed true remorse in his actions by handing himself over to police on March 27, 2018.
Judge Abraham Makume asked some questions regarding the plea.
Makume said the fact that the murder occurred hours after the initial confrontation, should have given the accused enough time to settle down. He further stated the violation of the protection order against Van Wyk showed his disregard for the rules.
However, he agreed with the proposed sentence and sentenced the accused to an effective 30 years of imprisonment. The accused was given 30 years for murder, seven for theft and 10 years for his unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently.
The judge inquired as to whether the accused had children. Van Wyk has four children aged 15, 14, 10 and four. The youngest child was the child of the deceased.
“When you get out you will have to explain to him why his mother is gone,” said Makume. “I hope you use your time behind bars fruitfully.”
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