Man who wanted to poison wife, appeals

Dave Williams, the man convicted of conspiring to kill his wife will begin his fight to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

Dave Williams, the man convicted of conspiring to kill his wife will begin his fight to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

Published Nov 15, 2012

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KwaZulu-Natal - Dave Williams, the man convicted of conspiring to kill his wife and sentenced to seven years in prison, was expected to begin his fight to appeal against both his conviction and sentence on Thursday.

Williams, 52, was hauled off to prison earlier this month for plotting to poison his “nagging and clingy” wife, Vino. The couple have been married for 21 years. They have two children.

Williams approached Xolani Madladla to kill Vino. Madladla contacted the police and Williams was then the subject of a sting operation by the Organised Crime Unit.

Warrant Officer Mack Makhanya acted as a “hit man” who was going to provide Williams with an “undetectable poison” to kill his wife.

Williams conspired to poison his wife between September 26 and October 4 last year. During this time he met Madladla and the “hit man” twice where the plot was discussed and recorded on a wiretap. These recordings were played in court.

Williams pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder and maintained he wanted the poison to commit suicide and that at no stage did he intend to kill his wife.

He gave evidence that he felt inadequate as a man because he was unable to provide for his family, and that his wife's “nagging and clinginess” was driving him crazy.

Magistrate Mpume Linda rejected Williams’s version and found the most chilling factor was that Williams had plotted to kill his wife since 2009.

Williams’s attorney, Nasen Naicker, has confirmed that he will apply to the court for Williams to be released on bail pending appeal, if the application succeeds.

In a document handed to the court on Tuesday in support of the appeal, Naicker submits that Williams was not discredited as a trial witness, and the court should have found that his version – that he’d purchased what he thought were poisonous capsules to commit suicide and not to kill his wife – was reasonably and possibly true.

He also submits that the court should have given consideration to the fact that the capsules contained glucose and not poison. He suggests that, being non-toxic, nothing had prevented the police from allowing Williams to administer the “poison”. - Daily News

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