STATE ASKS COURT TO SENTENCE KIDNAPPER, RAPIST AND MURDERER TO AT LEAST NINE LIFE SENTENCES

STATE ASKS COURT TO SENTENCE KIDNAPPER, RAPIST AND MURDERER TO AT LEAST NINE LIFE SENTENCES

The State is asking the High Court of South Africa: Western Cape Division to sentence kidnapper, rapist, and murderer, Moyhdian Pangkaeker, to at least nine life sentences, following his conviction for heinous crimes he committed against children. The court convicted Pangkaeker on twenty-one charges, which include eight counts of rape of children, sexual assault and sexual exploitation of children, several counts of assault of children, kidnapping, incest, desecration of a corpse and absconding from parole. The conviction on 26 October 2022, follows his denial of his involvement on twenty-seven charges of heinous crimes the state preferred against him.

Arguing in aggravation of sentence today, Senior State Adv. Lenro Badenhorst, described Pangkaeker, as a monster who cannot be tolerated in a civilized community. “It is submitted that the accused is a repetitive offender who indiscriminately targets young girls for sexual pleasure and therefore his moral blameworthiness is high. The accused should be punished with the most severe punishment possible for his reprehensible actions. There are no reasonable prospects of rehabilitation for the accused. He is a danger to society and a long-term sentence would be an appropriate punishment for the offences. The chances to re-offend are very high. He has shown no remorse,” Adv Badenhorst argued.

He further argued that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances which forces the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences and asked the court to impose direct imprisonment in all the charges where the accused received a conviction. Pangkaeker is no stranger to the courts, especially on crimes involving children. In 2001 he kidnapped and killed his child. The Bellville Regional Court convicted and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment for culpable homicide and
kidnapping (abduction). He was also convicted for the neglect of his child.

Pangkaeker’s notoriety came to the fore following his arrest for the kidnapping, rape, murder, and desecration of the body of eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk. Adv Badenhorst told the court yesterday that the community was traumatized by the kidnapping. “The community took the law into their hands and burnt down houses. There were rumours that the accused hid on the roof of a local school, the community stripped the roof of that school,” he argued.

At the beginning of the trial, the State played video footage from CCTV cameras of a garage on the N1 highway, of the accused with Tazne van Wyk as they alighted from a vehicle of a driver who gave them a lift. He lied to the driver and his passengers that he was taking his victim to her mother in Beaufort West. He declined offers of a sleepover although it was late in the evening.

Driving his points home, Adv Badenhorst argued: “The accused took away the life of an eight-year-old child who had her whole life in front of her and left her family devastated. It is submitted that the accused showed no remorse or regret for his heinous actions. After his arrest in Cradock, he was relaxed and at some point, he was heard laughing aloud. Initially, he did not assist the police by revealing where the body was. His eventual revelation to the police where the body was, was negated by the fact that he denied in court that he took the police to the scene.

“He continuously, over days in court, repeatedly fabricated different versions of the events to prove his innocence. The accused caused the parents of the deceased tremendous trauma and lived in uncertainty for days before her body was found. It is respectfully submitted that the accused is a monster who cannot be tolerated in a civilized community,” he concluded his arguments.