Lenient it may be, but there is little room for an appeal to be lodged against the sentence handed to a wife beater in the Pretoria North regional court this week.
This is according to AfriForum’s private prosecutions unit spokesperson Barry Bateman.
The businessman was handed a R20,000 fine and three-year suspended prison term. He pushed, punched and kicked his wife at their business in 2018 while she cowered from him.
He pleaded guilty to assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
His wife approached AfriForum's private prosecutions unit for help when the case was struck off the court roll. Advocate Gerrie Nel and his team made representations to the director of public prosecutions, resulting in the case being re-enrolled in May, the organisation said.
“While I’m disappointed at the sentence imposed by the court, I am pleased with the guilty verdict. It sends a strong message to women that they must speak out against gender-based violence and there is always an ear willing to listen,” she said after the trial.
Surveillance footage showing the severity of the attack was not seen in court after the defence objected to it being presented, asking that the state first lead evidence proving its authenticity, said Bateman, who published it on social media after the sentencing.
This was not done, with the prosecution instead moving on to the medical evidence.
The wife also shared the footage on her social media platform, alongside messages of goodwill and media reports on the trial, saying: “This is me and I stand up against women abuse.”
In its statement, AfriForum said it “had hoped more was done to ensure the footage was admitted to the record to allow the magistrate to view first-hand [his] violent conduct directed at his wife”.
Bateman told TimesLIVE the state could have grounds to appeal if it found the court erred somewhere in law. But, while he felt the sentence was too lenient, the court reached its conclusion based on what was presented in court and was guided by the law.
“It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is,” Bateman said.
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Estranged husband gets a fine and suspended sentence for punching, kicking wife
Image: 123rf/ Keisuke Kai
Lenient it may be, but there is little room for an appeal to be lodged against the sentence handed to a wife beater in the Pretoria North regional court this week.
This is according to AfriForum’s private prosecutions unit spokesperson Barry Bateman.
The businessman was handed a R20,000 fine and three-year suspended prison term. He pushed, punched and kicked his wife at their business in 2018 while she cowered from him.
He pleaded guilty to assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
His wife approached AfriForum's private prosecutions unit for help when the case was struck off the court roll. Advocate Gerrie Nel and his team made representations to the director of public prosecutions, resulting in the case being re-enrolled in May, the organisation said.
“While I’m disappointed at the sentence imposed by the court, I am pleased with the guilty verdict. It sends a strong message to women that they must speak out against gender-based violence and there is always an ear willing to listen,” she said after the trial.
Surveillance footage showing the severity of the attack was not seen in court after the defence objected to it being presented, asking that the state first lead evidence proving its authenticity, said Bateman, who published it on social media after the sentencing.
This was not done, with the prosecution instead moving on to the medical evidence.
The wife also shared the footage on her social media platform, alongside messages of goodwill and media reports on the trial, saying: “This is me and I stand up against women abuse.”
In its statement, AfriForum said it “had hoped more was done to ensure the footage was admitted to the record to allow the magistrate to view first-hand [his] violent conduct directed at his wife”.
Bateman told TimesLIVE the state could have grounds to appeal if it found the court erred somewhere in law. But, while he felt the sentence was too lenient, the court reached its conclusion based on what was presented in court and was guided by the law.
“It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is,” Bateman said.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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