Two convicted for Knysna pensioner’s murder
TWO suspects arrested for the September 2019 murder of Knysna pensioner, Peter Henson, 76, have been convicted on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder.
Western Cape High Court Judge Robert Henney however acquitted the two, John McCombi and Henry Molligan, on the charge of housebreaking with intent to rob and murder.
Sentencing proceedings will start this morning at the circuit court at the Knysna Magistrate’s Court where the judgment was delivered.
During the case, the court was told Henson lived alone in his house in Sedgefield, Knysna.
Testimony was that on the evening of September 16, 2019, McCombi and Molligan went to Henson’s house with the intention of robbing and killing him.
After breaking into the house, the two overpowered Henson, bound and gagged him and then stabbed him, leaving him for dead.
Henson’s body was discovered in his home on the same evening by a neighbour. That same night, police recovered items belonging to Henson at McCombi’s house, also in Sedgefield.
The neighbour had been alerted by the sight of Henson’s dog running circles around a motorcycle parked outside his house at about 10pm that night. Finding this to be unusual behaviour, he went to the house to check in on Henson.
That was when he found Henson lying on the floor, already dead, with his hands tied behind his back and a cloth in his mouth. He immediately called the police.
Among the things McCombi and Molligan stole were a DStv decoder, a knife and a personal diary belonging to Henson.
Other items included a remote control and a set of keys with tags that had “main house, blue alarm, red panic and green gate” written on it and an engraved silver cigarette lighter.