Phoenix father handed 25-year prison term for son's murder
A Phoenix father has been sentenced to 25 years in prison - for murdering his little boy, in an attempt to 'punish' his estranged wife.
Thirty-year-old Pravin Kubair strangled his 7-year-old son, Elijah, to death with a piece of washing line last year - after he and his wife had had an argument.
He pleaded guilty to the crime in August and Judge Mohini Moodley handed down sentence in the Durban High Court today.
Judge Moodley said she'd struggled to find substantial and compelling reasons to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life.
She said Kubair had consistently displayed a propensity towards aggression and violence. He'd been abusive towards his wife - which had, in the end, resulted in the collapse of their entire marriage.
The judge also pointed out that the social worker who interviewed Kubair noted an "expression of remorse" but said he still didn't seem to fully appreciate the impact of what he had done.
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"A child depends on his or her parents for love and protection," the judge said, "The deceased child did not deserve his terrible fate at the hands of his father".