Cop who killed wife to wed ‘other woman’ in jail
● There will be no flower-lined church pews or glitzy reception when Pietermaritzburg teacher Ruth Sinclair promises to love, honour and cherish her cop-turned-convict Morné Croeser in an upcoming jailhouse wedding.
Approval was granted last week for the nuptials at the Pietermaritzburg New Prison that will formalise their turbulent 10-year relationship.
The 36-year-old teacher’s romance with Croeser bloomed in the months before the police dog-handler stabbed his wife Erika to death at their home at Albert Falls Dam in 2010.
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison and began serving his term in 2014 after an appeal court commuted it to 18 years — noting his meritorious service to the badge.
During Croeser’s trial, details of his secret affair with Sinclair were aired as the state painted a picture of an unfaithful man trapped in a miserable marriage.
The court heard that while the cop was away from home on border duty he had sent a flurry of text messages to Sinclair, on some days as many as 15. On his return home he secretly went for trysts with her.
The prosecutor said that in the months leading up to the murder, as his marriage became increasingly rocky, Croeser had criticised his wife for being overweight and had encouraged her to dye her hair black, similar to Sinclair’s colour.
Department of Correctional Services spokesman Thulani Mdluli said that “security concerns” dictated that the wedding would be held in secret, the date and time not disclosed to the public.
In a Whats App profile picture, Sinclair and Croeser steal a kiss and share an embrace during happier times. The words “moments like these are worth waiting for” run above the picture.
The honeymoon might have to wait until 2020, when Croeser will be eligible for parole.