The Mpumalanga high court in Delmas on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Christopher Graham Watson to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend Angelique Fourie, 27, last year.
In a plea and sentence agreement, Watson, 33, from Secunda, also pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and was sentenced to an additional three years in prison.
Through his lawyer, Watson told the court that on the evening of November 7 2021, he went to the deceased’s place in Cosmo Ridge, Trichardt, and found Fourie with another person, who is a complainant in the matter.
“A heated argument ensued between the complainant and the accused, and the accused assaulted the complainant,” national prosecuting authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
She said when Fourie intervened, the complainant ran out of the house and an argument continued between Watson and her.
“He took a kitchen knife and stabbed the deceased several times. He then set a plastic dustbin on fire, took their three-year-old minor child, and fled the scene,” Nyuswa said.
Fourie succumbed to the stab wound injuries the same day.
“The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence. We hope that this sentence will send a strong message that violent crimes will not be tolerated but will be prosecuted,” Nyuswa said.
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Life imprisonment for Mpumalanga man who murdered girlfriend
Image: 123RF/Markus Schnessl
The Mpumalanga high court in Delmas on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Christopher Graham Watson to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend Angelique Fourie, 27, last year.
In a plea and sentence agreement, Watson, 33, from Secunda, also pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and was sentenced to an additional three years in prison.
Through his lawyer, Watson told the court that on the evening of November 7 2021, he went to the deceased’s place in Cosmo Ridge, Trichardt, and found Fourie with another person, who is a complainant in the matter.
“A heated argument ensued between the complainant and the accused, and the accused assaulted the complainant,” national prosecuting authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
She said when Fourie intervened, the complainant ran out of the house and an argument continued between Watson and her.
“He took a kitchen knife and stabbed the deceased several times. He then set a plastic dustbin on fire, took their three-year-old minor child, and fled the scene,” Nyuswa said.
Fourie succumbed to the stab wound injuries the same day.
“The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence. We hope that this sentence will send a strong message that violent crimes will not be tolerated but will be prosecuted,” Nyuswa said.
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