Johannesburg - The Northern Cape High Court handed down two life terms to a man who left his life partner battered and injured as if she had been in a "motor vehicle accident".
Samuel Blom was sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape Division, sitting in Upington, after the court found him guilty of murder and the rape of his life partner, Katriena Kedebone Petro.
Blom was convicted on one count of murder and two counts of rape, as well as defeating the course of justice.
This comes after the pair were at their home near the Dakota informal settlement in Upington on July 17, 2019, when Blom assaulted Petro before proceeding to repeatedly rape her.
When he realised she was unresponsive, he attempted to conceal his crimes and dragged Petro's body from their home to nearby bushes in the area.
Her naked body was discovered by children from the settlement the following day, and the police were alerted to the gruesome discovery.
Blom was arrested shortly thereafter, following intensive and detailed investigations by the police.
The medical evidence report delivered in court detailed that the injuries that the victim had endured at the hands of her intimate life partner were like those that are usually suffered by victims of motor vehicle accidents.
Senior State Advocate Johannes Cloete, in pleading for a life sentence, also alerted the court to evidence that this incident was not isolated, as Blom had regularly assaulted the victim, even before that fateful night.
In sentencing, the court agreed with the State and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment for murder, life imprisonment for rape, and five years’ imprisonment for defeating the course of justice.
The Star