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Car guard 'deserves' life
09/07/2007 14:06 - (SA)
Pretoria - A car guard who repeatedly stabbed a prosecutor while robbing her of her cellphone should be given a life sentence, the Pretoria High Court heard on Monday.
Judge Tholi Vilakazi convicted 33-year-old Sipho Mnisi on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted murder following a vicious attack on control prosecutor Marisa Booyse in her office at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in September last year.
Prosecutor Andre Fourie argued that Booyse was a law officer who was attacked in her own office at a venue where she was surrounded by police.
The fact that Mnisi attacked her under those circumstances showed he had no respect for the law and he deserved life imprisonment.
The judge said it was clear Mnisi had foreseen that Booyse could die when he stabbed her 11 times. Mnisi had the intention to kill her when he attacked her, despite his denials.
Booyse partially lost the use of her right hand as a result of the attack and was still receiving counselling to overcome the trauma. She has not been back to her office since.
She has told reporters she could not convince herself to return to the place she associated with near death. She also said she was angry and shuddered when she thought that, if she had been killed, her two young daughters might have had to grow up without a mother.
Mnisi was, however, acquitted on charges of murdering and robbing 18-year-old Peet van der Merwe at the Centurion Mall in June 2005.
Van der Merwe was stabbed to death with a broken bottle after he and some friends smoked dagga under the bridge at the mall with a group of strangers.
One of his friends, Alex Barnard, six months later identified Mnisi as his friend's attacker, but Vilakazi said he was not satisfied that Barnard's identification was reliable.
There was no evidence to back up Barnard's testimony. It was also dark that night and there was no lighting under the bridge, the judge said.
The trial was postponed to July 26 for sentencing.
- SAPA
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