Windhoek: A 21-year-old man who admitted to killing his 17-year-old girlfriend, Sara Jonker, by strangling her during a drunken argument in 2023 was sentenced to an effective 15 years' imprisonment on Wednesday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Windhoek High Court Judge Claudia Claasen sentenced Johannes Bock to 18 years' imprisonment for murder committed with dolus eventualis, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act. Three years of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of murder or assault-related culpable homicide during the suspension period, leaving him to serve an effective 15 years behind bars.

Bock had pleaded guilty to the charge, admitting that he killed his girlfriend after the couple, who had both been drinking, became involved in an argument. According to the facts accepted by the court, the deceased grabbed Bock by the front of his clothing and refused to let go. Bock became angry and fatally strangled his girlfriend.

In delivering sentence, Claasen said courts must strive for consistency by considering sentences imposed in comparable cases while also recognising that every case has its own unique facts and the personal circumstances of the offender. The judge described murder as one of the gravest crimes, particularly when committed within a domestic relationship.

She noted that the victim, who was only 17 years old, about to turn 18, had helped support her grandfather's household following the death of her grandmother years earlier. Her killing, the court found, had left an irreplaceable void in both her grandfather's home and his life.

Although the murder was not premeditated, Judge Claasen said that did not lessen the brutality of the offence or the suffering the young woman endured as she fought for her final breath. 'Having had the opportunity to hear from the accused, this court is satisfied that he understands and appreciates the wrongfulness of the act, and that the admission of guilt is his way of taking responsibility for the deed. In that regard, the guilty plea, accompanied by genuine remorse, constitutes a further significant factor in mitigation of sentence,' the judge ruled.