The court heard how the murder of Delana Carmen Rawlins had affected her family. Picture: UNSPLASH
A 48-year-old man was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment after he confessed to murdering his ex-wife in a fit of rage in May 2023 in the Ashburton area.
Ian Rawlins was sentenced at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday March 25 for the murder of Delana Carmen Rawlins.
In his plea, Rawlins said on the day of the incident, May 13, 2023, he attended a party with Delana.
He said they had gone shopping the day before and he bought her a new outfit for the party. He added that although they had got divorced a month prior (April 2023), they were discussing reconciliation and a possible resumption of their previous relationship, said Ms Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Rawlins said while at the party, on the day of the incident, some male guests were talking about Delana being in a relationship with another man. This angered Rawlins and he confronted his ex-wife, causing an argument which became loud and led to them being asked to leave the party. They left the party, and he drove his car in convoy behind Delana who was driving in her vehicle in front of him, said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
“They stopped their cars at some point, and he walked over to Delana’s car and they began arguing again. He demanded that she return the clothes he had bought her. Since she was wearing the clothes, he pulled on her top and pants. He said that he walked away and then realised that Delana had his house keys. So, he went back to the her car,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
“Delana refused to give him the car keys and at that point, he lost his temper and drew his firearm to threaten her. However, he pushed the firearm through the car window and discharged it, continuously firing shots until the firearm was no longer capable of discharging any shots.”
Ms Ramkisson-Kara added that Rawlins said he did not recall how many shots were fired, but he does not dispute that at least 12 shots were fired at Delana. Thereafter, he left the scene and drove to the Pietermaritzburg municipal dump, where he sat in his car trying to figure out what to do. He said that he then phoned his attorney who assisted him, and he handed himself over to the Alexandra police station.
“In his plea, Rawlins denied that his actions were premeditated or planned but rather occurred in the heat of the moment, due to his inability to control his temper. He also said that his relationship with Delana during their marriage was tumultuous, characterised by frequent violent arguments which resulted in Delana obtaining four protection orders against him. Rawlins admitted that Delana had been the subject of physical abuse caused by him. He told the court that he was remorseful for his actions,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
In aggravation of the sentence, Advocate Deelan Naidoo handed in Victim Impact Statements compiled by Delana’s daughter and mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Imbali Komane.
In her statement, Delana’s mother said Rawlins actions had affected their family as well as the community at large. She said that she cannot sleep and constantly live in fear.
One of Delana’s three daughters said she feels bad when her friends talk about their mothers. She said Rawlins had always abused their mother and they had witnessed this often. In addition to the sentence, the court found Rawlins unfit to possess a firearm.
“The NPA’s attitude towards the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide is one of zero tolerance. We hope that this sentence will deter like-minded individuals and we commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS (South African Police Service),” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.