Life term sought for Packham

THE State intends to request the Western Cape High Court to impose life imprisonment on Constantia murder accused Rob Packham.

This is according to the indictment and summary submitted by the State to magistrate Goolam Bawa at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before the matter was transferred.

Packham stands accused of the murder of his wife of 30 years, Gill Packham, 57, a Springfield Convent School administrator. He was released on R50 000 bail and had been restricted to house arrest as part of his bail conditions, but this had been relaxed to allow him contact with one of his sisters, Judith Markwell.

Packham is accused of murdering his wife, defeating the ends of justice and destroying evidence relating to her death following her disappearance on February 22. “The accused unlawfully and wrongfully killed Gill Packham by hitting her with a blunt object, unknown to the State, and/or inflicting violence the forms of which are unknown to the State.

“With intent to defeat or obstruct the course of justice, committing an act in setting alight a BMW motor vehicle with the body of the deceased in the boot. Tampering with the crime scene and supplying false information in order to mislead the police as to the identity of the perpetrator,” the State contends.

The State submitted that the jurisdiction of the high court was such that imprisonment for life may be imposed. The matter has been transferred to the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial conference on October 26. – Staff Writer