A Rehoboth man, who admitted he killed his girlfriend of 17 years and mother of his two children by hitting her with the sharp end of a spade several times on her head, was sentenced to an effective 32 years behind bars by Windhoek High Court Judge Naomi Shivute yesterday. Sacky Goliath (39) admitted during his plea that he intended to kill Welfriede Saron (40) when he hit her several times with the spade on 2 June 2019.

He, however, pleaded not guilty on further charges of attempted murder, housebreaking with intent to murder and attempted murder, assault by threat and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The judge, however, convicted him on all charges, as she said the State proved its case against him beyond a reasonable doubt.

It was charged by the State that Goliath, in addition to killing Saron, also assaulted the victim’s mother Barbara Campbell by hitting her in the face with the same spade.

According to the charge sheet, he hit the mother when she tried to stop him from hitting the victim and she sustained an open wound in her face. It was further charged that he broke into the house of the victim’s new boyfriend Llewelyn Afrikaner with the intent to murder the victim and that he attempted to murder her by stabbing her in the face with a knife a day prior the murder.

With regards to the charge of threat by assault, it was stated he chased the victim wielding a stick and stones, threatening to attack her. With regard to the charge that he hit Elaria Abisay, who came to the aid of the victim, on her hand with a stick with the intention to cause her serious harm, the judge said the intent and the weapon used demonstrate he intended to cause the complainant serious bodily harm and he is thus guilty as charged.

“Although the accused pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, he had no other option, as he committed the evil deed in the presence of the deceased’s mother,” the judge said, adding that his guilty plea does not carry any sufficient weight. She said that Goliath committed a horrific offence and that it was premeditated.  “He went looking for the deceased at her new boyfriend’s residence and at the church, with the intention to kill her, and he eventually succeeded,” the judge stated.
She further said his personal circumstances are by far outweighed by the seriousness of his offences and the interest of society.

In cases such as these, the judge said, society expects from the courts to remove perpetrators of such heinous crimes for a long period.
She sentenced Goliath to 32 years on the murder charge, three years on the assault to do grievous bodily harm charge, and six and three months, respectively, on the other assault charges but ordered that the sentences run concurrently with the murder sentence. 
Goliath was represented by defence counsel Mese Tjituri on instructions of legal aid and prosecution by Joseph Andreas.  
- rrouth@nepc.com.na