Psychological and Behavioural Considerations
On the day of the offense, the offender had actually bought his daughter a gift. However, he was confronted by a mess created by her playing with his cigarettes. Only two days earlier, he had warned her not to do so. Hence, on the 6th of January, he decided to discipline her. In the statements, he did not start out by hitting her but was verbally scolding the victim. However she cried which became more intense when he began to slap her. Based on long standing frustrations of his inability to support his family, lack of respect towards him from both his immediate and extended family, he decided to become harsh to reinstate his manhood through violence (PP v AFR).
Based on the details of the court, the offenders actions are in line with the psychological motives of paternal filicide. Often, paternal filicide acted upon to regain control over the family and during the impulsive episode, manifests itself through violence on their children. Failure to live up to their gender role expectations therefore saw violence as an alternative bringing about death to a family member.