Former policeman sent to jail

A former Cape Town police officer was sentenced to five years in jail after he tried to kill his girlfriend, Die Burger reported on Thursday.

 

Warrant Officer James Bennie Davids, 58, appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday after being convicted of attempted murder in June.

 

Davids reportedly stabbed Sharon Cupido, 35, in her neck, arm and stomach in January last year. She was rushed to Groote Schuur hospital where her wounds were stitched up.

 

According to the report, Davids testified that he and Cupido had been sitting in her car in Victoria Road, Woodstock, when they got into a fight and he grabbed a knife normally used to cut open boxes.

 

He reportedly wrote a letter asking her to forgive him. The letter described how he had previously threatened her with knives and a gun because he was jealous, and believed that she was in a relationship with a former lover.

 

Davids was suspended from the police earlier this year, but was appealing the decision.

 

Magistrate Wilma van der Merwe reportedly said: "A person, especially a woman, is supposed to feel safe in a relationship and not be afraid."

 

- Sapa