GQEBERHA – A 25-year-old Bethelsdorp woman was sentenced today in the Gqeberha High Court to an effective 25 years imprisonment for the murder of Quinisha Sebrand in Maitlands.

On Monday, 28 March 2022, at about 09:00, the accused fetched the 9-year-old child from her house in Extension 28 in Bethelsdorp to take her for a haircut.  During the day, the accused hitch hiked with the child to Maitlands beach where she was strangled.

At about 21:00, the same evening, the accused, Lesley-Anne Damon went to the satellite police station in Sea View to report her crime. Evidence emerged during the trial was that the murder was as a result of jealousy by the accused as the child’s father and the accused were in a relationship.

The Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner, Maj Gen Vuyisile Ncata welcomed the sentencing and commended the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Bertus Blom for ensuring that bail was denied and that the accused remained in custody for the duration of her trial. ‘Children should never experience such insidious forms of violence and it’s very sad when they innocently suffer at the hands of people they trust. It is very painful for a parent to lose a child after raising them and then someone comes and take all that away from you through their own selfish and wicked intentions. Justice has been served on the accused and we applaud the detective officer, Detective Warrant Officer Bertus Blom and the prosecuting authority for such a fitting sentence,’ commented Maj Gen Ncata.

Source: South African Police Service