'I'm sorry I killed you'

2008-09-04 22:43

Pretoria - A Schoemansville man accused of killing his common-law wife claims she assaulted him.

Defence lawyer Faan Coetzee told the Pretoria High Court on Thursday this would be the evidence of Richard Van Ameron in response to claims by the victim's sister.

The murdered Jana Venter's sister Eleanor testified that she had seen Richard Van Ameron strangling his wife.

Van Ameron has denied that he had attempted to murder Jana in September 2004 by strangling her, and that he shot her dead in June 2005.

Coetzee put it to Eleanor that she had made up a 2004 incident in which she claimed to have seen Van Ameron sitting on Jana with his hands around her throat.

Wrote letters in cells

Eleanor said when she confronted Van Ameron, he told her to leave his house and threatened to shoot her and her sister.

She reported the incident to the police the same night, because she took his threats seriously.

She also took her sister to the police the next morning, but Jana refused to lay a charge against Van Ameron, who was the father of her four-year-old daughter Nikita.

Coetzee told the court Van Ameron would testify that he and Jana had an argument during a birthday party at their house when she left the room with a young man.

He would testify that they continued their argument in the bedroom where she started screaming and swearing at him.

She gave him a black eye, kicked him between the legs with her knee and scratched his neck when he put his hands over her mouth to keep her quiet.

He claimed Eleanor had entered the room at that stage and told him she had him now and he "would pay for the rest of his life", but he told her she was not welcome and should get out.

He would also testify that Jana had thereafter followed him outside, attacked him with a picture frame and "sucker punched" him from behind, Coetzee said.

Eleanor said she had not seen her sister assaulting Van Ameron and if it ever happened, it would have been in self-defence, because her sister was a tiny woman.

Jana's mother, 70-year-old Vivian Venter, testified that Van Ameron arrived late at her home one night in June 20005.

He asked her to take care of his daughter Nikita, and told her he had shot Jana and that she was dead.

The State handed in three letters which Van Ameron had apparently written in the police cells after his arrest and later handed to Jana's father.

In one of the Afrikaans letters, addressed to "dear Jana", he asked his victim's forgiveness for ending her life and robbing her of growing old, seeing her daughter grow up and enjoying life.

"I don't know why I did what I didn't want, but I cannot turn back time. I've asked God many times to do it, but it's not His will!

"I've always thought I'd give my life for you in a second without thinking, but then without thinking I shot you, not once but until there were no bullets left in the gun!"

The trial continues.

- SAPA