Durban - Raylene Louw, the mother of Miguel Louw who was murdered in 2018, said she wishes that no other parent would have to endure what she went through.
Her victim impact statement was handed to court as part of the sentencing proceedings for Miguel’s killer, Mohammed Vahed Ebrahim, who was found guilty of the 2018 kidnapping and premeditated murder in December 2020, by Durban High Court Judge Jacqueline Henriques.
In her statement, Louw said the lack of remorse by Ebrahim was disturbing. She said that no words could explain the ordeal they endured after Ebrahim took Miguel and lied about knowing where he was.
“It was horrific, the sleepless nights, not eating, being worried, wondering, thinking where my son could be and how afraid he must be,” she said.
Louw said Ebrahim chose to kill her son instead of letting him go or bringing him back home.
“I honestly don't wish for any parent to experience what my family and I went through,” she said.
She said her nightmares continue.
“Images play in my head continuously and the thoughts of how my son cried for me to come and help him and how scared he must have felt at that time.”
The dead boy’s sister Mikayla stated in her victim impact statement that she was very close to her brother and was forced to learn how to live without him.
She said they “went though everything together ... he was my other half and then when he went my heart broke in half”.
Yesterday the court heard arguments in mitigation and aggravation of sentence.
Defence advocate Jay Naidoo said there were exceptional circumstances that would warrant a lesser sentence to be imposed on Ebrahim. Naidoo said there was no evidence proving how Miguel was killed nor the extent of the violence.
“We have no evidence in terms of the circumstances of how the child died,” he said.
He also defended the lack of remorse shown by Ebrahim, based on the fact that his client still maintained his innocence.
But Judge Henriques pointed out that the accused could maintain innocence while expressing emotions regarding the murder of a child that he claimed to have a close relationship with.
“Surely if that relationship was as close, wouldn't you have expected him to express some sense of loss and grief on his part?” she asked.
Based on the social worker’s report, Naidoo said the murder of Miguel was completely out of character for the accused.
He argued that there was no evidence to suggest that should his client be released from prison, that he would commit the crime again.
He added that it was Ebrahim’s first offence, he had been taking care of his parents, he had had a job and was contributing to society.
Senior state prosecutor Kelvin Singh said it was concerning that in the social worker’s report it stated that Ebrahim laughed most of the time during the interview and was quick to put the blame on others.
“It shows a human being devoid of any emotion and empathy,” he said.
The accused is not a person to be rehabilitated to be place back into society, he said.
Singh said while he could not argue physical injuries, the conduct and thought process of the accused was violent. He said there was a cold and calculated intent to kill.
The matter was provisionally adjourned to Friday when a date will be set for the sentence to be handed down.
The Mercury