Cape Town - “I am deprived. I crave intimacy, raw primal sex.”
Those were the words alleged wife killer, Robin Packham, sent his mistress’s friend in a steamy email when contact with his former sidechick was prohibited.
This was revealed in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday as Packham’s bail was revoked for breaching his bail conditions.
He was arrested last week after the mistress’ friend submitted an affidavit to police and Packham will now spend Christmas in prison and miss his daughter’s wedding on Saturday.
Packham is accused of killing his wife, Gill, 56, whose charred remains were found in the boot of her green BMW at Diep River Train Station a day after she was reported missing.
The car had been set alight with her in it.
During court proceedings this week, it was revealed that Packham had tried to contact his former girlfriend, who is also a State witness, by sending messages and dropping flowers at her office using the alias “Richard J Hopkins”.
In September, his bail was raised from R50 000 to R75 000 and he was given stricter conditions, but that did not stop the Constantia businessman.
In the most recent letter written in November to the mistress, using the alias “RJH-W”, he tries to reach out to her by expressing his feelings saying: “He wears his heart on his sleeve for you. I honestly don’t know whether to go punch him or admire his naive honesty. He says he often finds himself suddenly thinking about you when he least expects it. He misses you.”
However, it was revealed that a month before this letter to the woman he was having an affair with for three years, he tried to entice her friend to have sex with him.
In an email sent on 14 October, he said: “I am deprived. I crave intimacy, raw, primal sex... Keen?”
It also emerged that Packham, his mistress and the friend belonged to a bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism (BDSM) group.
Packham denied sending the emails and police confirmed that no device that could send them was found in his house, but he did not deny sending the letter.
Judge Elizabeth Baartman ordered that Packham be sent to prison for the duration of the trial and the bail money be returned to the person who paid it.
After proceedings Packham’s relatives were allowed to leave the gallery and enter the dock where they hugged and kissed him goodbye.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, could not say where Packham would be held.