A Northern Cape man and his two sons were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man they suspected of robbery.
Give De Koker, 60, and his two sons, Clyde De Koker, 24, and Neillon De Koker, 30, were convicted and sentenced in the Kimberley Regional Court.
Explaining the merits of the case, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said on December 1, 2019, brothers Clyde and Neillon were returning home from a nightclub, when along the way they were robbed of their cellphones and shoes by three guys.
“After the robbery, the boys went home and reported the incident to their father. The three of them decided to go look for the robbers,” Senokoatsane said.
“On their way, they met with the victim whom they alleged was one of the suspects who robbed them.”
Senokoatsane said it is alleged that the victim began to run away when he saw the accused.
“They caught the victim and started to physically assault him. He was kicked, stabbed with a knife, and hit with a golf stick,” Senokoatsane said.
“After assaulting the victim, they left him to die without ever discovering the alleged cellphones and shoes they accused the victim of stealing from them.”
The NPA said diligent police investigations led to the arrest of the father and his sons.
The NPA further said that during the trial Regional Court Prosecutor Dineo Mathule argued that the accused acted on a common purpose and that the offence was premeditated, as the accused had armed themselves with a knife and golf stick that they used to attack their victim.
“None of the items belonging to the accused were found in possession of the accused. The State further argued that the deceased right to life was taken away by the accused persons and his right to human dignity was violated.”
The NPA said during sentencing the court agreed with the prosecution, and the father and his two sons were sentenced to life imprisonment and all of them were declared unfit to possess firearms.
The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence.
“It can never be over-emphasised how important human life is and therefore the NPA will be vigorous in its pursuit of these cases in order to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers.”
IOL News