A mom’s hope that her young daughter’s killer would languish in jail has been dashed by a parole board’s decision to release him.
|||Durban - A Chatsworth mother’s hope that her young daughter’s killer would languish in jail for the duration of his 60-year sentence has been dashed by a parole board’s decision to release him early.
When Dhevapragasen (Dean) Munsamy was granted day parole on Tuesday - after serving 18 years behind bars - Sharon Jeenabhai said he looked at her and laughed.
“He showed no remorse for what he did. That made me realise I could never forgive him,” Jeenabhai told the Daily News on Wednesday.
The parole hearing was held at Ncome Prison in Vryheid, where Munsamy is serving his sentence.
It was the first time since 1995 that she came face to face with the man who raped and killed her 10-year-old daughter, Natasha Sukdeo, who was kidnapped that year and held for four days in a cellar.
Jeenabhai said her daughter’s battered body was found hidden in a cut-out mattress in a basement.
Then 18, Munsamy, who had lived three doors away from Jeenabhai’s Bayview home, had offered to help search for the little girl when she was reported missing. He was later arrested for the crimes.
Now, after serving 18 years of his 60-year sentence for abduction, rape and murder, Munsamy, 36, will be released on day parole for six months, from July 18.
He will be electronically tagged and would have to return to prison by 6pm every day.
Jeenabhai, who has been on antidepressants since her daughter’s death, said that when she left for Vryheid at 4am on Tuesday, she had every intention of forgiving Munsamy.
“The past 18 years have been hell on earth for my family. Forgiving him would give me closure and allow us as a family to move on,” she said. “But his arrogance and lack of remorse yesterday (Tuesday) has made it impossible to forgive him.”
She said she had expected Munsamy to come clean about why he had killed her daughter.
“The parole hearing went on for the entire day. In fact it was reliving the trial again. It opened old wounds and filled me with pain and hatred.”
Jeenabhai said that despite overwhelming DNA evidence presented during the trial, Munsamy had denied raping her daughter.
“He said he was too drunk and it would have been impossible for him to get an erection
,” she said.
Jeenabhai said Munsamy had told the parole board that he had mended his ways in prison and Bible studies had changed him.
“He has not changed. I am also a Christian, but I do not hide behind God. That is what he is doing. It seems like in this country a person can do wrong and then use God’s name to walk free.”
Said Jeenabhai: “During the parole hearing he told the board that he had already secured a job at a mortuary and a friend had offered him a place to stay.”
“He said he has the support of his family and friends. I pleaded with the parole board not to release him. That will be my final nail in the coffin. I don’t think I will be able to bear the day he walks free...”
After the day-long parole hearing, Munsamy was granted day parole for six months.
“When the announcement was made he just looked at me and laughed
,” Jeenabhai said.
“I have been fighting against his release for two years now. He even mentioned the media hype around the case was unnecessary.
My life was also threatened. But I don’t care. What I am going through is nothing compared to the pain my child endured.”
Regional correctional services commissioner, Mnikelwa Nxele, said it was mandatory for victims or their families to participate in parole hearings.
Nxele said parole was granted based on various factors including remorse, reports by social workers and psychologists and the likelihood of a prisoner committing the same offence again.
He said Munsamy would be transferred to Westville Prison for his day parole.
Daily News