KZN man who allegedly shot his wife 12 times on Mother's Day eve denied bail

A KwaZulu-Natal man who allegedly shot his estranged wife 12 times in Ashburton and threatened to kill their four-year-old daughter was denied bail by the Pietermaritzburg magistrate's court on Thursday. 

Ian Rawlins, 46, appeared before magistrate Nitesh Binnesarie for the murder of popular gospel singer Delana Cader Rawlins, 46.

Delana was shot dead on the eve of Mother’s Day after they had a dispute at a family gathering.

Rawlins, a businessman, was charged with murder and applied for bail on Wednesday. 

The court was packed with family members, close friends and community members, while others picketed outside the court calling for bail to be denied.  

In his affidavit, Rawlins said he married Delana in 2015 but they had been in a relationship since 2013. They had been apart since November 2022 but were reconciling. Rawlins said though they were living apart, he contributed financially and believed the reconciliation was going well.

Binnesarie said the state alleged that after the altercation Delana left in a vehicle accompanied by a witness and Rawlins followed them. 

Rawlins contacted the witness, who was Delana’s driver, and asked them to stop as he had forgotten something in the car. 

“He drove past the vehicle and parked in front. He alighted and proceeded to Delana's vehicle, where there was an altercation in which Rawlins assaulted his wife and pulled her to the floor. Rawlins went back to his car to get a firearm and fired 12 shots at her. The witness stated he had attempted to grab Rawlins’ arms to try to stop him from shooting,” said Binnesarie.

After the incident, Rawlins contacted his lawyer before handing himself over to the police. 

Binnesarie said Rawlins would not be safe if he was granted bail, as residents threatened through a petition to kill him.

“The applicant also contacted another witness after the incident and threatened to not only kill himself but his innocent four-year-old daughter.

“This court will do all in its power to ensure the safety of this child. It is a harsh reality that she is now deprived of both parents. She is scarred emotionally and psychologically. She will never recover from this, and it will haunt her for the rest of her life.”

Binnesarie described the move by Rawlins to cover funeral expenses as a “shameful act”, as if his intentions were sincere he would not have mentioned it in his affidavit. 

Delana would never experience the joy of growing old, seeing her children become adults and being a grandparent.

Rawlins made no mention of wanting to support his minor child financially or emotionally in his affidavit and Binnesarie said this was of concern. 

“As a parent, I would think that should’ve been your priority. I find it hard to believe this is the child you raised and someone you loved. I have no doubt there is a possibility you’ll be convicted on the charge based on evidence that has been presented so far and could face life imprisonment. 

“If released on bail, I believe this will bring a sense of shock and outrage within the community. Accordingly, your bail is refused,” said Binnesarie.  

The decision was welcomed by those in the gallery as they clapped and screamed in joy and relief.

The matter was adjourned to July 19 for further investigation, postmortem results, ballistic evidence and for witness statements to be obtained. 

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.