A Neikerkshoop man has denied killing his girlfriend by assaulting and strangling her.
A NIEKERKSHOOP man has denied killing his girlfriend by assaulting and strangling her.
Benjamin Lottering, 42, is charged with the murder of Jacoline van Wyk following an incident that occurred on January 27, 2019.
Lottering took the stand in the Northern Cape High Court yesterday and said that he had merely grabbed Van Wyk and thrown her to the ground after they had an argument.
“I did not strangle her. I grabbed her and threw her down. I was very angry at the time but I did not strangle her,” he said.
Lottering added that when he left, Van Wyk was still alive. “She was lying on the ground and was still breathing. From her movement I could see that she was trying to get up. She was not dead when I left her and walked off.”
In his plea explanation, Lottering admitted that he had assaulted Van Wyk but denied killing her.
“Jacoline van Wyk and I were in a love relationship with each other. We also lived together but did not have any children together. On January 27, 2019 the deceased and I were at our house where we had an argument. During the argument, the deceased went to my parental home where our argument continued. During the argument, I assaulted the deceased by slapping her and I also grabbed her around the neck and threw her down. While I assaulted her, I did not have the intention, directly or indirectly, to cause her death. I also did not foresee that the assault on the deceased might cause her death,” read the plea explanation.
The State, represented by advocate Keageletse Ilanga, alleges that Lottering acted in a premeditated manner while assaulting and strangling Van Wyk.
The State alleges that on the day of the incident, Lottering’s mother, Georgina Lottering, asked some of her grandchildren to get help when the accused was busy assaulting Van Wyk. When the help did not come, Georgina went to call her neighbour. Van Wyk sustained multiple injuries due to the assault inflicted on her. Lottering later left the house and upon Georgina’s return, she found Van Wyk lying on the floor with her head in a pool of blood.
The post-mortem found that the cause of death was due to a combination of head injuries and asphyxiation due to strangulation.
The trial continues.
