“In November 2021 the man assaulted the woman when she was 24 weeks pregnant. He punched her several times, kicked her and sat on her stomach. He poured paraffin on her and set her alight. This was in the presence of her son who was also assaulted.”
The man fled the scene and was arrested after police traced him.
“The woman sustained burn wounds to her head, torso and lower limbs. She was taken to hospital where she miscarried and subsequently died of her injuries,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“In the state's case, advocate Nadira Moosa led the eyewitness testimony of the child, who had seen the murder and the previous assaults on his mother. The state had applied for him to testify through an intermediary and closed-circuit TV system.” .
The court heard the woman had obtained an interim protection order against the man.
Moosa also submitted a victim impact statement compiled by the boy and facilitated by court preparation officer Prudence Geraud.
“In his statement, the boy said he is sad, suffers from anger issues and is easily agitated. He said he is not able to deal with the loss of his mother and doesn’t trust anyone,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
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KZN boy who witnessed mother's fatal assault helps put her killer behind bars for life
A 10-year-old KwaZulu-Natal boy who witnessed his pregnant mother being assaulted and set alight has helped put her murderer behind bars for life.
The child, who was eight at the time, testified that his mother’s 34-year-old partner kicked, punched and sat on her stomach before he set her alight in the Mariannhill area in Durban in November 2021.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the Durban high court on Tuesday sentenced the man to life and 18 years' imprisonment for the assault, intimidation and murder of his partner and the assault of her minor son.
“The man lived with the woman and her children in the Mariannhill area. Their relationship was volatile, he often physically and verbally abused her and her son,” said NPA KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
“On one occasion he assaulted the woman by stabbing her in her leg with a knife. He also intimidated her by telling her he would kill or assault her and her children. During this time, he would also bang the child’s head against a wall and kick him in the stomach.
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“In November 2021 the man assaulted the woman when she was 24 weeks pregnant. He punched her several times, kicked her and sat on her stomach. He poured paraffin on her and set her alight. This was in the presence of her son who was also assaulted.”
The man fled the scene and was arrested after police traced him.
“The woman sustained burn wounds to her head, torso and lower limbs. She was taken to hospital where she miscarried and subsequently died of her injuries,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“In the state's case, advocate Nadira Moosa led the eyewitness testimony of the child, who had seen the murder and the previous assaults on his mother. The state had applied for him to testify through an intermediary and closed-circuit TV system.” .
The court heard the woman had obtained an interim protection order against the man.
Moosa also submitted a victim impact statement compiled by the boy and facilitated by court preparation officer Prudence Geraud.
“In his statement, the boy said he is sad, suffers from anger issues and is easily agitated. He said he is not able to deal with the loss of his mother and doesn’t trust anyone,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
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