A teacher convicted of murdering his wife in a knife attack in their home in Windhoek seven years ago received a prison term of 25 years at the end of his trial in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.
Acting judge Herman January sentenced Patric Gaingob (45) to 25 years’ imprisonment on a charge of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, and to a jail term of 12 months on counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and assault.
The sentence on the two assault charges was ordered to be served concurrently with the prison term on the murder charge.
Gaingob was convicted on the three charges near the end of May this year.
January rejected Gaingob’s claim that he had no recollection of the stabbing that led to the death of his wife, fellow teacher Merenta Gaingos (38), during the night of 12 to 13 April 2019, and that he was acting in a state of automatism and amnesia during the stabbing.
The stabbing took place in the couple’s home in Windhoek.
Gaingob denied guilt on all of the charges when his trial started in April 2023.
During the trial, the court heard that Gaingob arrived at his and Gaingos’ house after a visit to a bar during the night of 12 April 2019 and loudly knocked at a window to be let into the house.
After a door had been opened for him, Gaingos asked him why he had made a noise outside, whereafter she went to her bedroom.
Gaingob fetched a knife from the kitchen of the house and then went to the bedroom, where he started to stab Gaingos.
During the stabbing, Gaingob repeatedly yelled “I’m tired of this”, a teenage daughter of Gaingos recounted when she testified during the trial.
Gaingos was stabbed 12 times. She died in a hospital in Windhoek after an attempt was made to save her life.
Gaingos’ three children – two of whom were born from her relationship with Gaingob – were eyewitnesses to the fatal stabbing.
In the judgement that he delivered near the end of May, January found there was no evidence supporting Gaingob’s claim that his wife had died as a result of medical negligence when she underwent surgery at Katutura Intermediate Hospital and when she was transferred to Windhoek Central Hospital before she died.
January also found that Gaingob was not truthful with his claim that he did not know what happened at his and his wife’s house and that he had experienced a blackout.
A daughter of Gaingob and his wife told the court during a presentence hearing that she now feels indifferent towards her father and wants nothing to do with him, January recounted during the sentencing. She also rejected an apology that her father made in court after he was convicted.
Gaingob broke down in tears after hearing his daughter rejecting him during her testimony.
Gaingos’ eldest brother, who has been caring for her three children since her death, also rejected Gaingob’s apology to Gaingos’ family.
Gaingob “did not once admit to the role he played in the brutal murder that he committed”, January said during the sentencing.
“[Gaingob] rather requested the court to have mercy on him during sentencing.
However, he mercilessly killed the deceased, the mother of his children, and robbed the children of their mother.
In addition, having witnessed the horrific crime of the murder, the trauma will remain in the minds of the children everlasting,” January remarked.
Gaingob has spent more than seven years in custody from the time of his arrest to his sentencing.
Defence lawyer Jermaine Muchali represented him during his trial.
State advocate Seredine Jacobs prosecuted.
