State lawyer Taodago Gaweseb yesterday asked Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen to remove convicted baby killer and 30-year-old Priscilla Daukeline Stuurman from society for a very long period.

 “The accused is a danger not for her immediate family but society in general, and must be removed from society,” Gaweseb said during his submissions of the sentence to be imposed on Stuurman.

Judge Claasen convicted Stuurman of murder with direct intent, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, for the death of her six-month-old baby boy, Stiaan Cidio Stuurman. 

Baby Stiaan died at a hospital on 24 December 2019 as a result of traumatic head injuries. 

“The State has proven that the accused flung and hit the deceased on the floor multiple times, causing injuries that resulted in his death,” said Claasen. 

The court found that despite there being no eyewitness, there is evidence that Stuurman did not want the baby and threatened to kill him. 

There is also evidence of abandonment.  

During the trial, it was revealed that on 23 December 2019, at Aussenkehr in the //Kharas region, Stuurman told witnesses she would kill her baby, while she further refused to breastfeed the infant. 

Yesterday, Gaweseb argued the murder was intentional and brutal. 

He said the accused made several threats against the victim and finally fulfilled her threats in the most gruesome manner, saying she deserves severe punishment for her act of brutality. 

Gaweseb further said the accused did not show any remorse and maintained to the end that the baby died as a result of an accident while the opposite was proven. 

He asked the court to sentence Stuurman to an effective 35 years behind bars. 

Prominent defence lawyer Milton Engelbrecht, who appeared for Stuurman on instructions of legal aid, asked the court to impose a lenient sentence. 

According to him, the accused did express remorse. 

He further said every sentence must be blended with a measure of mercy, and asked the court to sentence his client to 17 years imprisonment. 

According to him, she can still become a productive member of society after serving her sentence. 

He further said she is not a danger to society as the State would postulate, and said she is an ideal candidate for rehabilitation. 

Judge Claasen indicated she will deliver her sentence on 1 September at 10. 

Stuurman was remanded in custody at the Klein Windhoek Police Station until her sentencing.

- rrouth@nepc.com.na