The State intends to request the Western Cape High Court impose life imprisonment on Constantia murder accused Rob Packham.
This is according to the indictment and summary of facts submitted by the State to magistrate Goolam Bawa at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday before the matter is transferred.
Packham stands accused of the murder of his wife of 30 years, 57-year-old Gill Packham, a Springfield Convent School administrator.
He was released on R50 000 bail and has been restricted to house arrest at his home as part of the bail conditions. It has been relaxed to allow him to have 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 State said in its indictment: “The accused unlawfully and wrongfully killed Gill Packham, an adult person, by hitting her with a blunt object, unknown to the State and/or inflicting violence, the forms of which is unknown to the State.
"With intent to defeat or obstruct the course of justice by committing an act in setting alight a BMW motor vehicle with the body of the deceased in the boot thereof. Tampering with the crime scene and supplying false information in order to mislead the police as to the identity of the perpetrator.”
The State submitted that the inherent jurisdiction of the high court was such that imprisonment for life may be imposed.
The charred body of Packham’s wife was found days after her disappearance in the boot of her burnt BMW vehicle at the Diep River train station. She was identified through forensic DNA comparison.
The State maintained that the vehicle was observed driving in traffic by a male identified to be the accused, as well as driving away from the train station by a witness.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the accused was served with an indictment and summary of facts. The matter has been transferred to the Western Cape High Court for a pre-trial conference on October 26.