A Nelson Mandela Bay man accused of murdering his mother, apparently because “the devil told him to do it”, appeared briefly in the Gqeberha high court on Wednesday.
Peter Lyons, 52, from Jacksonville, faces a further count of murder after he allegedly killed his landlord in 2006.
It has also since emerged that his mother, Mabel, had a protection order against her seemingly violent son at the time of her murder.
Due to the unavailability of his lawyer, the trial was postponed to Monday, when Lyons is expected to plead to the charges.
It is alleged that he strangled and robbed Mabel at her Mpuko Street, Jacksonville, home on November 28 2019.
More than 13 years earlier, he allegedly killed his landlord, Dennis Ogle, who had kicked him out of the room he had been renting at a house in Coleus Crescent, Sanctor.
It is alleged Lyons was evicted from Ogle’s property on February 15 2006. He had been living there since December 2005.
Ogle was last seen alive on March 10 2006 by his neighbour.
Lyons was allegedly also seen on the same day at Ogle’s home, though he had been evicted a month earlier.
Court papers state that between March 8 and March 10 2006, Lyons assaulted and strangled Ogle.
His body was later discovered in his bedroom by a boarder who became concerned after not seeing the landlord for two days.
A postmortem established the cause of death to be blunt-force injury to the chest and neck.
Two months before his mother’s murder, Lyons allegedly informed the police that he had killed Ogle.
However, according to a source close to the case, police were unable to gather enough information to charge Lyons with the murder at the time.
In November 2019, his mother was strangled to death.
Lyons is also alleged to have admitted to Mabel’s murder, allegedly claiming to officers that “the devil had told him to do it”.
If he pleads not guilty to the charges on Monday, his alleged admissions to the police will have to be tested in court, likely by way of a trial-within-a-trial.
The state alleges that sometime between November 27 and November 28 2019, Lyons strangled his mother and robbed her of her house keys, bank card, cellphone and R1,000 in cash before he called his daughter using his deceased mother’s cellphone.
Mabel had an interdict against her son.
Meanwhile, with the rise in gender-based violence and increasing reports of domestic violence and harassment, legal experts are urging potential victims to approach courts for assistance to prevent further abuse.
Recent statistics released by the SA Police Service for the third quarter from October to December 2021 noted an alarming increase in domestic-violence-related crimes.
A total of 51 people were murdered, and 817 cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and 1,080 cases of common assault were reported in the Eastern Cape alone.
According to divorce and family law attorney Joanne Anthony-Gooden, the Domestic Violence Act defines domestic violence as an act of violence perpetrated by an individual with a personal link to their victim whether it be a mother, daughter, son, fiance or anyone who is in a love relationship with another person, even if they do not live together.
“If you are in a domestic relationship and you suffer an act of domestic violence, you are entitled to approach the court,” Anthony-Gooden said.
She said an interdict, issued by a court, was intended to prohibit a person from behaviour that was considered unacceptable by the community.
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