Cape Town - The State has asked the Circuit High Court in Ceres to sentence Christo Oncke to life imprisonment for murdering David Olyne in a gay hate crime in March, 2014.
Judge Siraj Desai found the 30-year-old guilty of murdering Olyne, dismissing his version of events that he had “beat up the bunny” but had left him alive. He will be sentenced on Wednesday.
During the trial, in which seven witnesses were called for the prosecution, it was said that Oncke had invited friends who were drinking at a dam in Bella Vista to watch him “kill a moffie”.
The 23-year-old’s burnt body was found the next day with his hands and feet tied with wire. Oncke, testifying in his own defence, said the day before the murder he and a friend were walking when Olyne approached them to ask for a cigarette.
He told the court Olyne had offered him sex and this caused a physical altercation between the two. He admitted he punched Olyne five times and kicked him, but denied killing him.
State advocate Ntsoaki Mabilietse argued that Olyne’s murder was brutal, given the fact Olyne had been tied up, strangled and set alight.
Mabilietse said this was not a “normal murder” considering the way in which the crime was carried out.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said the State prosecutor insisted the Ceres community in general needed to be protected from these types of crime. “In particular, the gay and lesbian community needs to be protected,” he said.
Mabilietse told Judge Desai that it had become common for hate crimes to be committed against residents in Ceres. She pleaded for a sentence that fit the crime - a life behind bars.
A pre-sentencing report in mitigation of sentencing, compiled by clinical psychologist Jillian Butterworth, recommended Oncke see a psychiatrist so he could be treated for psychosis.
In her opinion, Oncke had been telling the truth when he said he did not kill his victim, and she suggested he could not articulate his version of events accurately because he had a low intellect.