A woman who murdered her four-year-old son in northern Namibia and also tried to kill one of her other children has received an effective prison term of 26 years at the end of her trial in the Oshakati High Court.
The children who were assaulted by Kyrkki Shekupe van Wyk (38) were both of a vulnerable age and were attacked by their own mother, who normally should have protected her children at any cost, judge Duard Kesslau remarked during Van Wyk’s sentencing on Thursday.
Kesslau sentenced Van Wyk after she admitted guilt on charges of murder and attempted murder, with both counts read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act.
Van Wyk was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment on the murder charge and a jail term of eight years on the count of attempted murder.
Four years of the sentence on the attempted murder charge should run concurrently with the sentence on the murder charge, Kesslau ordered.
Van Wyk admitted that she killed her four-year-old son, Dhino Hilya Amwaama, and that she also tried to kill her six-year-old son at Okatha-Kiikombo, a village in the Tsandi constituency of the Omusati region, on 8 March 2021.
According to Van Wyk, she was angry and took out her anger on her children after she had been assaulted by her then partner.
She also informed the court she had been triggered when her then partner brought his new lover into her presence.
Van Wyk used sticks and a whip to beat both children all over their bodies.
During the sentencing on Thursday, Kesslau described the assault on the two boys as “relentless”, and noted that Dhino died due to a brain injury.
His brother survived only because he managed to flee from his mother, and was left with a serious head injury and bruising all over his face, Kesslau recounted.
His injuries were an indication that his mother intended to kill him, too, the judge remarked.
He also observed: “The attack must have lasted some minutes, however, [Van Wyk] did not take this time to reconsider her actions or to exercise self-control.”
Kesslau said Van Wyk clearly had remorse over her actions, and displayed this by admitting her guilt from the time of her arrest.
The court was informed that Van Wyk, who is a first-time offender, had given birth to eight children, of whom four have died. Her four surviving children are in the care of relatives.
Van Wyk spent about 18 months in police custody before her trial.
Legal aid defence lawyer Stanley Makale represented her during the trial.
State advocate Victoria Shigwedha prosecuted.
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