A man who claimed his rape and murder victim "provoked" him by threatening to send her brothers after him was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court yesterday.
Emilio Jacobs, 24, of Eersterust showed little emotion when Judge George Webster sentenced him to life plus 10 years' imprisonment for the murder and rape of Vanessa Buys, 29, in December 2009.
Buys was a police reservist and was raising two children on her own.
Buys's half-naked body was found in a veld in Eersterust just hours after she was last seen alive. She had bled to death after being stabbed several times in the neck. She also had numerous scratches and bruises on her body.
Jacobs admitted to raping her before stabbing her to death with a broken bottle.
In an explanation of plea, he said he started drinking early that day and also used drugs.
Buys arrived home in the early hours of the morning and both of them walked to a nearby filling station to buy cigarettes.
"After we bought the cigarettes, we had a physical fight because she was looking for drugs. I grabbed her, throttled her and pushed her onto the ground," Jacobs said.
His legal representative argued that Jacobs could not be held fully accountable for his actions because he had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol and because Buys had threatened him.
But Webster said Jacobs had a clear memory of the incident, knew what he had done and had never been in any danger.
He said a victim's life was not rendered cheap simply because their attacker had used alcohol and drugs to feel better.
'Provoked' killer rapist gets life
A man who claimed his rape and murder victim "provoked" him by threatening to send her brothers after him was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court yesterday.
Emilio Jacobs, 24, of Eersterust showed little emotion when Judge George Webster sentenced him to life plus 10 years' imprisonment for the murder and rape of Vanessa Buys, 29, in December 2009.
Buys was a police reservist and was raising two children on her own.
Buys's half-naked body was found in a veld in Eersterust just hours after she was last seen alive. She had bled to death after being stabbed several times in the neck. She also had numerous scratches and bruises on her body.
Jacobs admitted to raping her before stabbing her to death with a broken bottle.
In an explanation of plea, he said he started drinking early that day and also used drugs.
Buys arrived home in the early hours of the morning and both of them walked to a nearby filling station to buy cigarettes.
"After we bought the cigarettes, we had a physical fight because she was looking for drugs. I grabbed her, throttled her and pushed her onto the ground," Jacobs said.
His legal representative argued that Jacobs could not be held fully accountable for his actions because he had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol and because Buys had threatened him.
But Webster said Jacobs had a clear memory of the incident, knew what he had done and had never been in any danger.
He said a victim's life was not rendered cheap simply because their attacker had used alcohol and drugs to feel better.