-judge calls for societal action against `epidemic of domestic violence’
A 32-year-old man from Strathspey was sentenced on November 14, 2024 to life in prison for the murder of his mother-in-law, Velma Pickering.
Linden Junior Isaacs, who pleaded guilty to the crime, was sentenced by Justice Sandil Kissoon in the High Court. Isaacs will serve a minimum of 25 years before becoming eligible for parole.
The murder occurred on May 11, 2020, at Pickering’s Vryheid’s Lust home. Isaacs stabbed the 56-year-old woman 14 times with a 12-inch ice pick while she was in the house with her three-year-old grandson. Pickering managed to escape the house and sought help from neighbours but collapsed on a nearby bridge. She was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) but died from shock and haemorrhage caused by multiple stab wounds to her upper abdomen.
The court heard that Pickering had intervened in her daughter’s abusive relationship with Isaacs, who had a history of violence against partners. Isaacs’ daughter endured four years of abuse, including an incident where he struck her in the head with a hammer while she was pregnant. The relationship ended when she moved back in with her mother.
Despite prior reports of Isaacs’ abusive behaviour, no significant intervention was made by the authorities.
Prosecutor Delon Fraser described the murder as premeditated and brutal, highlighting Isaacs’ use of a deadly weapon and his failure to assist the victim. The prosecution urged the court to impose a strong sentence as a deterrent against domestic violence.
Justice Kissoon condemned the crime as “calculated and heinous,” rejecting Isaacs’ plea for leniency. The judge also criticized systemic failures that allowed the abuse to escalate and called for societal action against what he described as an “epidemic of domestic violence.”
Isaacs’ attorney cited his client’s abusive upbringing and said that the guilty plea was an act of remorse. However, Justice Kissoon denied the customary one-third sentence reduction, noting the overwhelming evidence against Isaacs.
The sentence includes mandatory participation in educational and rehabilitative programmes during incarceration.
Pickering’s family submitted an impact statement, describing her as the foundation of their household. Her grandson, who witnessed the attack, is undergoing therapy for severe psychological trauma.
Justice Kissoon stressed the need for harsher penalties and improved intervention to address domestic violence. “The prevalence of brutal killings by current and former intimate partners is a crisis,” he said. “The court must send a strong message that such cruelty will not be tolerated.”
