Bloemfontein father sentenced to life imprisonment for strangling his son to death

A Bloemfontein father has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his three-year-old child.

The Bloemfontein High Court sentenced Gift Hendrick Stander on Tuesday after he confessed in court to strangling his son to death, wrapping him in plastic and hiding his lifeless body under the bed in October last year.

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According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, the 25-year-old father arrived at his ex-girlfriend’s home on 15 October 2021 to fetch their child for a visit to his home in Bloemside Phase 4, near Bloemfontein.

This was after the mother of his son made it clear to him that she was not interested in a romantic relationship with him anymore.

“He failed to bring the child back until Sunday, 17 October 2021, when the mother got worried and asked family members to accompany her to Gift’s home to fetch the child,” Covane said on Wednesday.

Painful discovery

He said the 20-year-old mother made the painful discovery that Stander had strangled their child to death, with his lifeless body concealed under the bed

“The police at Bloemspruit in Bloemfontein were called to the scene, the case docket for murder was opened and the accused was arrested.

“Warrant Officer Moeketsi Solomon Mokgobo received the docket and even though there were no witnesses, managed to get confession made in court by the accused.”

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