A murderer and would-be rapist will spend the rest of his life in jail after being found guilty of killing a pregnant woman in May 2019.
Ladysmith Visible Policing officers responded to the gruesome scene in the early hours of May 10, 2019. A pregnant female had been killed, her throat slit, and she was found lying in a pool of blood.
Detectives soon learned that the suspect in the case was a known man from the area. They immediately began tracing him.
The suspect had fled the area. When he returned home the following day, police were informed and he was arrested by uniformed officers at his home.
It then came to light that he had stalked the victim with the intention of raping her. However, when he attempted to forcibly have sex with her, he was met with resistance.
She fought him until they reached the roadway, where he killed her.
Also read:Â Police officer found dead in his home in Ladysmith
The accused co-operated with detectives and later pointed out the place where he had thrown the murder weapon.
He made several appearances in court, but was denied bail.
He was sentenced earlier this month to 20 years’ imprisonment on count one (murder) and another 20 years on count two (murder of a fully-developed foetus). 15 years of count two will run concurrently with that of count one. He will effectively serve 25 years in prison. He was also found unfit to possess a firearm.
The investigating officer, Constable BX Zwane of the Ladysmith Detective Service, welcomed the sentence and placed on record his sincere appreciation to members of the community who provided information to the police.
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