A 38-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man has been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for the murder of his 33-year-old partner following a domestic violence incident that claimed the life of the mother of his infant child.
The Scottsburgh Regional Court heard that the incident occurred in November last year when the man returned home and found his partner heavily intoxicated. Their two-month-old baby was not at the house, prompting him to question her about the child's whereabouts.
Unable to provide an explanation, the woman was repeatedly assaulted with a stick during an argument.
The court later heard that the infant had been taken to a neighbour's home for safekeeping after the child's mother was deemed too intoxicated to care for the baby.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara, the victim complained of severe body pain later that evening.
The accused reportedly left the house to collect medication for her, but upon his return found her unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene and declared her dead.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder.
During sentencing, the State argued that the assault had not only claimed the victim's life but had also deprived the couple's child of the opportunity to grow up with his mother, while causing significant emotional trauma to her family.
Kara said the court considered the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment but found that there were substantial and compelling circumstances that justified imposing a lesser sentence.
These included the accused's expression of remorse, his guilty plea, the fact that he was a first-time offender, and his claim that he had acted in anger.
As a result, the court sentenced him to 20 years' direct imprisonment.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court declared the convicted man unfit to possess a firearm.