A 34-year-old Ralton Juan Christopher Koetaan was found guilty yesterday by the Port Elizabeth High Court for murdering his s3x client, Jean Lombard (69).
He was found guilty after he pleaded guilty in the same court.
Lombard stayed alone at Hokaai Farm, a smallholding situated on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth.
Koetaan worked for a garden services company and Lombard was one of the company’s clients.
From about 2016 Koetaan and his colleagues did lawn maintenance at Lombard’s Hookai Farm.
In his guilty plea Koetaan said towards the end of 2018 while working on the lawn he asked Lombard to use his bathroom as he had a stomach problem.
Lombard agreed, but while he was inside the toilet Lombard came in. He started playing with his private parts.
He said Lombard told him to go to his bedroom when he was done using the toilet. He went to the bedroom and found Lombard lying on the bed with his pants lowered and his private parts exposed.
Lombard asked him to m@sturbate him until he ejaculated and promised to give him money. He did and Lombard gave him R620.
This became a regular occurrence and received no less than R500 for each session.
However, on 26 April 2019 events took a turn for the worst.
Koetaan visited the farm after Lombard had asked him to come and do the deed as usual.
After performing the usual exercise, Lombard told him that he didn’t have money and that he would pay him the next time he came around.
Koetaan was furious because he didn’t have money for a taxi to return home and he would have to walk for 10 to 12 hours.
He then stormed out of the bedroom, went to the storeroom, and came back with a slasher’s handle.
He hit Lombard on the head a number of times until he fell down. Then Koetaan tied him with an electric cord.
Koetaan then pillaged the house and took a number of items including a 6.35mm calibre browning pistol, ammunition, and a cellphone.
He also stole a bicycle that belonged to a man who was employed at the farm.
The 59-year-old employee discovered the body of Lombard three days later when he went to report for duty.
Koetaan was arrested a few days later by police.
Senior state prosecutor, Advocate Marius Stander, accepted the guilty plea and Judge Irma Schoeman convicted Koetaan of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The case was postponed to 23 March 2021 for the court to receive a victim impact statement.
