Daughter describes wife murderer Rob Packham as kind and caring father

Published May 22, 2019

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Cape Town - The 28-year-old daughter of convicted wife murderer Rob Packham on Wednesday, told the Western Cape High Court that her father is a kind and caring man, who provided for his family and never showed violence or aggression towards them.

Testifying in mitigation of sentence, Kerry Meyer asked the court not to put her father away "forever" as she wanted him to be around when she and her younger sister, Nicola, 26, have children.

She described her family as close and said her parents had a normal marriage with its ups and downs, but that her father's infidelities had caused her mother much hurt and anger. 

Meyer, who works as a teacher in the United Kingdom (UK), said she could always go to her father for advice and that he would help wherever he could.

Packham was unable to attend her wedding in December last year, because his bail was revoked after he violated his bail conditions.

Meyer told the court she had been devastated by her mother's death.

"She was a warm, loving, fun and friendly lady and it was always easy to talk to her." 

Meyer had spoken to her every day despite living in the UK for the past two years.

The Constantia businessman was convicted of murdering his wife Gill and defeating the ends of justice on Monday.

Judge Elize Steyn described him as an "accomplished liar" who had led a double life and whose version of events was clearly fabricated before finding him guilty.

His wife, with whom he had been having marital problems because of his infidelities, disappeared on February 22, last year. She did not arrive for work at the usual time of 7.30am and her body was later found in the boot of her burnt-out BMW near the Diep River train station.

Steyn rejected Packham's version that she could have been the victim of a random hijacking and instead found that Packham was "a crafty deceiver", agreeing with the State that his conduct was "incomprehensible" and had been indicative of guilt.

She said that Packham had misled his family and his wife about terminating his relationship with his mistress and that his version had been dishonest and unreliable. Furthermore, there had been many instances where he was found to have lied or changed his version.

"The accused did not act in the manner of a distraught and later bereaved husband."

On Wednesday, Steyn asked Meyer about her mother's relationship with her four sisters. Meyer told the court that she was estranged from all of them except the youngest who lived in the Netherlands but had started to reconnect with them in the last two years.

Meyer said the sisters had fallen out over a "property-related issue."

Earlier, senior State prosecutor Susan Galloway handed in victim impact statements from two of the sisters. 

Meyer told the court that she attends trauma counselling on a weekly basis, as do all the family members on both sides. Steyn wished her all the best for the future. 

"It will not be easy", she said, before excusing Meyer from the stand.

The case was postponed to June 10, for arguments in mitigation and aggravation of sentence.

Sentencing will be handed down on June 12.

African News Agency/ANA

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