Sentencing proceedings have begun in former JoziFM DJ Donald Sebolai's murder trial. On Wednesday in the Johannesburg High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court‚ southeast of Johannesburg‚ the state started leading evidence in aggravation of sentence.Sebolai‚ 38‚ was convicted last month of murdering his girlfriend Rachel "Dolly" Tshabalala‚ 32. Sebolai stabbed Tshabalala in her lower abdomen after the couple fought at his Soweto flat. She died of severe blood loss.The court had heard that their turbulent relationship had seen more than one incident of violence‚ often paired with the couple consuming alcohol.Prosecutor Elize le Roux called Professor Rachel Jewkes‚ director of the Gender and Health Research Unit at the SA Medical Research Council‚ to the witness box.Jewkes prepared a pre-sentencing report based on a large body of research she and others had done on intimate partner killings in South Africa.Jewkes said that younger women were more often the victims of intimate partner killings than older women. She said that in such cases there was usually a history of violence preceding the death.Earlier the court heard that the defence was not ready to proceed with leading evidence in mitigation of sentence.Sebolai's advocate‚ Thabang Mathopo‚ said that he had experienced difficulty in finding a social worker to testify for the defence. He asked for a postponement.But Judge Cassim Moosa said that the state‚ which was ready‚ should proceed in order not to waste time. The defence will lead its evidence at a later date.Sebolai was also convicted of one count of attempting to defeat the ends of justice for tampering with the crime scene by cleaning up Tshabalala's blood from the floor and disposing of bloodied clothing. He was acquitted of a motor vehicle theft charge.The trial continues...