Ex-husband sentenced to 22 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to murder

EX-HUSBAND SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS IMPRISONMENT AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO MURDER

Today, the Pietermaritzburg High Court sentenced Ian Rawlins (48) to 22 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the murder of his ex-wife, Delana Carmen Rawlins in May 2023, in the Ashburton area. In his plea, Rawlins said that on the day of the incident, 13 May 2023, he attended a party with Delana. He said they had gone shopping the day before and bought her an outfit for the party. He said that although they had gotten divorced a month prior (April 2023), they were discussing reconciliation and a possible resumption of their previous relationship.

Rawlins said that while at the party, on the day of the incident, some male guests were talking about Delana being in a relationship with another man. This angered him and he confronted her, causing an argument which became loud and led to them being asked to leave the party. They left the party, and he drove his car in convoy behind Delana who was driving in another vehicle in front of him. They stopped their cars at some point, and he walked over to the other car when he and Delana began arguing again. He demanded that she return the clothes he had bought her. Since she was wearing these clothes, he pulled on her top and pants. He said that he walked away and then realised that Delana had his house keys. So, he went back to the other car.

Delana refused to give him the car keys and at that point, he lost his temper and drew his firearm to threaten her. However, he pushed the firearm through the car window and discharged it, continuously firing shots until the firearm was no longer capable of discharging any shots. He says that he does not recall how many shots were fired, but he does not dispute that at least twelve shots were fired at Delana. Thereafter, he left the scene and drove to the Pietermaritzburg municipal dump, where he sat in his car trying to figure out what to do. He said that he then phoned his attorney who assisted him, and he handed himself over to the Alexandra police station.

In his plea, Rawlins denied that his actions were premeditated or planned but rather occurred in the heat of the moment, due to his inability to control his temper. He also said that his relationship with Delana during their marriage was tumultuous, characterised by frequent violent arguments which resulted in Delana obtaining four protection orders against him. Rawlins admitted that Delana had been the subject of physical abuse caused by him. He told the court that he was remorseful for his actions. In aggravation of the sentence, Senior State Advocate Deelan Naidoo handed in Victim Impact Statements compiled by Delana's daughter and mother facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Imbali Komane. In her statement, Delana's mother said that Rawlins' actions had affected their family as well as the community at large. She said that she cannot sleep and constantly lives in fear. One of Delana's three daughters said she feels bad when her friends talk about their mothers. She said that Rawlins had always abused their mother and they had witnessed this often. In addition to the sentence, the court found Rawlins unfit to possess a firearm.

The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. Our attitude towards the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide is one of zero tolerance. We hope that this sentence will deter like-minded individuals and we commend the work done by the prosecutions and SAPS.

Kind regards,

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara

NPA Regional Spokesperson

KZN Division