For the members of the Justice4Gill Facebook page, the decision, handed down in the week of 13 April by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Mandisa Maya, was “a good day for justice.”

“We know that there is potential for yet another appeal, but we have faith that justice will continue to be served and Robert Packham will remain in prison to serve the sentence handed to him,” the group shared on their wall.

Packham was convicted on 20 May 2019 for brutally murdering his wife, Gill, on February 22, 2018. He was also convicted on a count of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by setting Gill’s car and body alight. 

Judge Elize Steyn sentenced Packham to 22 years’ jail for the murder and the attempt to cover it up.

The Facebook page was started by Gill Packham’s sisters, Helen and Sue Humphrey, and is dedicated to combating violence against women in the light of Gill’s gruesome murder.

One message on the page read:

“Thank goodness this did not go unnoticed during the pandemic and gives one hope in the justice system.”

The Constantia businessman attempted throughout his trial to prove he was innocent and had been wrongfully accused.

This became evident in two failed attempts for leave to appeal, when he turned to the president of the Supreme Court of Appeal in November 2019.

In papers, Packham argued that witnesses Paul Gray and Keenan Thomas had erred in identifying him as the person who was at Diep River Station on the evening of February 22, 2018. The testimony of both witnesses placed him at the scene of the crime.

Gray, in his testimony, told the court he had seen Packham in a green BMW in Constantia on the day in question and that he had banged his hands on the car’s steering wheel. 

Thomas, on the other hand, told the court he had seen Packham driving away in a white Audi SUV from the Diep River train station as Gill’s car went up in flames.

Packham challenged their credibility as witnesses, going so far as to question the reliability of the National Photo Identification System (NPIS) used by the police to identify a suspect.

The chilling murder drama unfolded with the disappearance of Gill on February 22 2018. After she failed to arrive for work and the mystery deepened, her body was found in the boot of her burnt-out BMW near the Diep River train station.

At the end of the state’s case, the judge rejected Packham’s assertion that his wife could have been a victim of a hijacking.

Steyn also concluded the wife-killer was an “accomplished liar” who led a double life and that his version of the events was a fabrication.

Yesterday anti-gender-based violence groups welcomed the decision, adding that it would bring an end to the Packham litigation process and that he would finally serve his punishment. DM/MC