Gill and Rob Packham’s youngest daughter, Nicola, will be called to testify against her father in his trial. It is expected that she will shed light on her father’s infidelities, which she kept secret from her mother for years until a few months before she was murdered.
When Detectives apparently got wind that Nicola was about to fly to the UK and was unsure if she would be returning to South Africa, they served her with a subpoena last month. They are aware that she is very close to her father and is reluctant to testify against him.
It is common knowledge among Gill’s friends that Nicola was aware of her father’s infidelities. She became aware of his activities when she was in high school after finding evidence on his cell phone. After confronting her father, he promised her he would change his ways, but he continued his sexual behaviour right through her university years.
“She didn’t want to tell Gill because she didn’t want to hurt her mother or get her father into trouble. Nicola is very much daddy’s little girl. It was a terrible secret for a daughter to keep. No child should be put in that position.”
When she finished her studies at University and knew that she was relocating to Johannesburg, she stopped covering for her dad. “She knew she was no longer going to be around to control him”. “Gill was distressed. She was oblivious of Rob’s secret sex life. All hell broke lose. She tried to save her marriage. Five months later she was dead.”
A week later, while detectives were telling Nicola and her sister Kerry that the burnt body in the boot was their mother, their father was arrested at home while he partied with friends. From that moment on, Nicola has believed that her father has been falsely accused of murdering her mother and has demonstrated it in public by being one of his most constant supporters during his numerous court appearances.
“Rob sat her down, looked at her in the eye and told her he didn’t murder her mother,” said the source. “And she believes her father.”
Susan Galloway will tell Judge Elize Steyn that she is seeking life imprisonment for Packham.
Youngest Packham daughter will testify in her father's murder trial | Weekend Argus
It seems that there has been a change of Judge. Judge Steyn was previously an advocate and has been on the Bench for about 9 years.
