The family of Edwina Thomas – the 51-year-old Goodwood woman whose son was handed a 15-year jail sentence for her murder – believe the justice system failed her.
Lydia Franciscus, of Thornton, said her sister’s death last year shook her family to its very core (“Man gets 15 years for killing mother,” Northern News, April 13)
“Edwina’s death was shocking, devastating, unbelievable and undeserving, to say the least. Our family and friends have not recovered from the cruel, evil way in which her life was taken, and,at that by her only son,” she said.
The family feel the 15-year sentence is “ridiculously too short”.
“She had a high profile job and would still go out and do community work in Leonsdale during her spare time as well as being very active in the church. The tribute her colleagues paid to her, following her death, brought us all to tears,” she said.
“The sentence is a joke, for anyone to be strangled to death, especially a mother by her own son. A life sentence should’ve been the sentence served – not 15 years,” she said.
Lance Thomas, 33, was sentenced in the Parow Regional Court in March after being convicted of murder, house break-in and theft committed last June.
He is serving out his sentence at Pollsmoor Prison in Tokai.
Captain Wayne Theunis said during the trial the court heard how Mr Thomas had broken into his mother’s Cook Street house, an address that he was not supposed to visit, because of a protection order, she had against him.
“His mother threatened to call the police, and he strangled her to death, and afterward covered the body with a sheet. He then stole the deceased’s Hyundai Elantra, laptop, cellphone and CCTV footage of him being there,” he said
The court heard how Mr Thomas had murdered his mother days after his release from prison and that during the investigation he had confessed to her murder.
Ms Franciscus said Thomas had been bailed out of prison, by his mother, for previous offences.
“He disregarded a served protection order; stole her cell phone, laptop, handbag; murdered her and to top it all off he stole the CCTV camera footage. The sentence that was handed down; just does not make sense to us, seeing as he was in and out of prison,” she said.
Ms Franciscus said her nephew was not always a problematic child.
“When I look back, I know he was a loving child; who went to church and never wanted for anything. Something must have drastically gone wrong with him. I don’t hate him; I just hope he gets the help he needs so that he won’t be able to hurt anyone, ever again,” she said.
She said her nephew started abusing drugs, as a teenager, while at high school and that he was also disrespectful and rebellious toward his mother.
Edwina tried everything in her power to help her son kick the habit.
“He was admitted to approximately three different drug rehabilitation centres. To please her, he would stop using drugs for a while and then relapse again, causing her endless heartache,” she said.
Before her death, Ms Franciscus said, her sister sought out counselling to deal with her son’s ongoing drug habit and that up until her very end “she never stopped encouraging him to attend drug counselling sessions”.
Edwina, a Woolworths employee, was described as hardworking, passionate, caring, empathetic, friendly, kind, helpful and generous.
She is mourned by her two sisters and three step-sisters.
Ms Franciscus said the family would not be appealing the case due to a lack of funds.
Captain Theunis said Edwina’s family had told him of their unhappiness with the sentence.
“They are very unhappy about the sentencing. We as the police, also feel the sentence was too light, however we cannot prescribe sentencing to the court. We did our part by: investigating; arresting and putting forward a strong case. Now it is up to the family to appeal the case,” he said.