Africa-Press – South-Africa. A 25-year-old Free State man was sentenced to life imprisonment for strangling his son to death to spite the child’s mother.
Gift Hendrick Stander strangled his 3-year-old son to death, wrapped his body in plastic and hid him under a bed at his home in Phase 4, Bloemside, near Bloemfontein.
According to Free State police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, Stander fetched the boy from his mother’s home on 15 October 2021.
This was after she told him she was no longer interested in their relationship, Covane said.
He took the child to his home.
“He failed to bring the child back” and on 17 October 2021 the mother asked family members to accompany her to fetch her son, Covane said.
When the boy’s family arrived at Stander’s home, he lied and claimed that the child had gone out with one of his (Stander’s) friends. However, Covane added that the child’s mother was convinced he was lying.
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“That was when Stander’s parents also intervened and confirmed that their grandson was in fact there on that Friday,” Covane said.
Stander decided to take the family to his backroom where he had murdered the child.
“He murdered his own blood to hurt his ex-lover because he couldn’t accept rejection,” Covane said.
Bloemspruit police were called to the scene and a murder case was opened.
Hendrick was arrested.
Covane said when Warrant Officer Moeketsi Solomon Mokgobo received the docket, he worked through the case without witnesses and was able to obtain Stander’s confession in court.
Stander was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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