Latest news with #Boomgaard
IOL News
02-07-2025
- IOL News
Zaheera Boomgaard: The double murderer who claims to hear voices
Double murderer Zaheera Boomgaard on Wednesday, speaking to her lawyer before the court was told that she is "hearing voices" in her head. Image: Zelda Venter Double murderer Zaheera Boomgaard 'hears voices' in her head, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria was told shortly before a social worker was due to present her presentencing report regarding Boomgaard's personal circumstances to the court. Boomgaard's lawyer mentioned to the court that his client said she heard voices, although it was not elaborated on exactly what the voices entailed. It was instead decided to send Boomgaard for evaluation to the Sterkfontein psychiatric hospital. This will be her second stint under psychiatric evaluation as she, at the start of her trial, also claimed to hear voices. Psychiatrists, however, at the time found that she did not suffer from any mental illness. Boomgaard is due to be sentenced at this stage for the deaths of two elderly people, both in their 70s. They are Jamnadas Harkant Nathvani, a British national whose body was badly burnt, as well as that of her friend, Lyntette Mustapha. Both bodies were found near a road in Walkerville not far from each other and within a few months of each other. Indications are that both were killed elsewhere and that Boomgaard dumped them next to the road before setting them alight. She was meanwhile acquitted of a third murder - that of John Naisby, who went missing in 2012 after visiting Boomgaard and was never seen again. His body was never recovered, and his family eventually had him declared to be presumably dead by a court. Boomgaard denied Naisby had ever visited her. She testified that he came from Cape Town on route later to Rustenburg. She briefly spoke to him once at the Walkerville Spar, she said, where she left him and never saw him again. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Along with the two murders, Boomgaard was also convicted on a host of other crimes, including forging a will and 36 counts of theft regarding cash withdrawals from the account of one of her victims. It was established that she had used Nathvani's bank card after his death, while a forged will pertaining to Mustapha was found in her home. In terms of the will, she (Boomgaard) inherited everything. Judge John Holland-Muter said while there is no direct evidence linking her to the two killings, the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. These include the tracking of her vehicle placing it on the scene where the body of Mustapha was found, along with bloody towels. The fraudulent will of this deceased was also found in her house. Several neighbours also testified that Nathvani was at her place on several occasions, something Boomgaard did not deny. She, however, claimed he left for Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal and she never saw him again. Bank statements also proved that she made purchases with his bank card after his death. Imprints matching her car were also found near where the body of Mustapha was found, and blood stains on one of her shoes matched the blood of Mustapha. The blood found on her sneakers indicated that Mustapha was bleeding in her presence, the judge said. Regarding her car's tyre imprints, the judge said the reasonable inference from this fact is that the deceased's body was dragged from the vehicle to where the body was left. 'The tyre imprints matching that of the accused's vehicle together with the dragging marks justify the inference that the body was taken from the vehicle and dumped next to the road. This is rather damning for the case of the accused,' Judge Holland-Muter earlier said.
IOL News
30-06-2025
- IOL News
Double murderer Zaheera Boomgaard faces sentencing
Double murderer Zaheera Boomgaard in the dock on Monday, holding the pre-sentence report containing her assessment done by a social worker Image: Zelda Venter The Gauteng High Court Pretoria is expected to come to know more about who double murderer Zaheera Boomgaard is after a hefty document compiled by a social worker regarding the personal circumstances of the 62-year-old killer will come under the spotlight. Sentencing procedures were due to start on Monday, but the prosecution asked Judge John Holland-Muter to stand the matter down to Wednesday. Prosecutor Andre Wilsenach said he received the hefty pre-sentencing report shortly before the proceedings were due to start and he needed to study it. A copy of the document was also handed to Boomgaard in the dock, where she appeared in high spirits, laughing and talking to the female police officers who kept an eye on her as she is in custody. Boomgaard was earlier this year convicted on two counts of murder as well as on a host of other crimes, including forging a will and 36 counts of theft regarding cash withdrawals from the account of one of her victims. Two bodies were found within months of each going missing, both burnt beyond recognition. Both were also strangled and hit with an object before they were set alight. Boomgaard was acquitted on a third count of murder against her, but this body was never found. The court said there was not enough evidence to link her to the third alleged killing. John Naisby went missing in 2012 after visiting Boomgaard and was never seen again. But Judge Holland-Muter said there was overwhelming evidence to convict her of the murders of Jamnadas Harkant Nathvani, a British national whose body was burnt beyond recognition, as well as that of her friend, Lyntette Mustapha, 72. Nathvani, also 72, had arrived in Gauteng in 2020, and he was last seen in February that year when he took a bus from Park Station in Johannesburg to Newcastle in KwaZulu Natal. A missing person's case was opened at the Newcastle police station, and the information was circulated. His body was found in the open veld in Gauteng in March 2020 and was burnt beyond recognition. It was months later that the police were able to identify him by his teeth, but it was established that there were signs of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Mustapha's charred remains were found in Walkerville a few months later. She was identified by her denied the bulk of the charges against her, but she did admit that she used Nathvani's bank card after his death. The State called several witnesses, including a woman who had discovered the charred body of Nathvani in March 2020. This was near the residence of the accused. A police sergeant who visited the scene discovered imprints, which resembled tyre imprints, on the ground near where the body was discovered. The imprints matched the tyres of Boomgaard's car. Another police officer testified about a blue and white rope around the neck of the deceased's body. Boomgaard's neighbour, Christina Uys, testified that she saw this man several times walking in the complex's garden. She saw him sitting on a bench outside Boomgaard's unit and once lying on a couch in the unit. It turned out to be Nathvani.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- IOL News
Gauteng woman who murdered two pensioners and forged will, faces long jail time
Zaheera Boomgaard was convicted in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria of killing two elderly victims. She forged one of their wills to make herself the beneficiary. Image: Zelda Venter A woman who killed two elderly people as well as committed a host of other crimes including forging a will and 36 counts of theft regarding cash withdrawals from the account of one of her victims, faces a lengthy jail sentence. Two bodies were found within months of each going missing, both burnt beyond recognition. Both were also strangled and hit with an object before they were set alight. The Gauteng woman, killer Zaheera Boomgaard, was acquitted on a third count of murder against her, but this body was never found. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria said there was not enough evidence to link her to the third alleged killing. John Naisby went missing in 2012 after visiting Boomgaard and was never seen again. Boomgaard, 63, was convicted for the murder of Jamnadas Harkant Nathvani, a British national whose body was burnt beyond recognition, as well as for the murder of her friend, Lyntette Mustapha, 72. Nathvani, also 72, had arrived in Gauteng in 2020, and he was last seen in February that year when he took a bus from Park Station in Johannesburg to Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. A missing person's case was opened at the Newcastle police station, and the information was circulated. His body was found in the open veld in Gauteng in March 2020 and was burnt beyond recognition. It was months later that the police were able to identify him by his teeth, but it was established that there were signs of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Mustapha's charred remains were found in Walkerville a few months later. She was identified by her fingerprints. Judge John Holland-Muter found beyond reasonable doubt that circumstantial evidence all pointed to her as the perpetrator. She was found in possession of Nathvani's cellphone and the police found pictures on the phone of his passport and bank card, taken after his death. Further damning evidence against her included tyre marks near where the body was found, which matched that of Boomgaard's vehicle. There were also dragging marks, which the court concluded occurred when the body was taken out of the vehicle and dumped next to the road. Mustapha was killed a few months after Nathvani and her body was found about 4 km from where his body was dumped. SANRAL gantries recorded Boomgaard's vehicle was travelling in the vicinity of where Mustapha's body was found. Blood on her shoes also matched that of Mustapha. The court also heard evidence from the police that when Boomgaard was arrested, they found copies of two wills in her house which belonged to Mustapha and her sister Marlene, who had also died. According to evidence, the wills were forgeries, and in the wills, Boomgaard was made the sole beneficiary. She handed the 'original' copies of the wills to FNB. Boomgaard, meanwhile, testified that she had no knowledge that the wills were forgeries. The court was told that a piece of paper, with Mustapha's signature written several times, was also found in Boomgaard's home. She was, however, only convicted of forging one of the wills. Apart from the two murders and 46 counts of theft of making withdrawals from Nathvani's bank account, Boomgaard was also convicted of the robbery of Mustapha's cellphone and bank card. Sentencing procedures will start on June 30.
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- The Citizen
Alleged De Deur serial killer: Verdict expected in Gauteng High Court tomorrow
Verdict in the trial of the alleged De Deur serial killer Zaheera Boomgaard is expected in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria tomorrow. Sedibeng Ster reports that Boomgaard is accused of murdering three people between 2012 and 2020. Judge John Holland-Muter noted during closing arguments that the evidence against Boomgaard is overwhelming, especially concerning the murders of British citizen Harry Nathvani and his girlfriend, Lynette Mustapha. Boomgaard, who pleaded not guilty, appeared emotionless when prosecutor André Wilsenach argued that the only correct conclusion that could be drawn was that Boomgaard was directly involved in the crimes. The state's case against Boomgaard relies largely on circumstantial evidence, but the evidence is convincing. Nathvani's burnt body was found in De Deur in March 2020. It is suspected that he was strangled and attacked with a blunt object. Forensic evidence linked Boomgaard's vehicle to the crime scene, and highway cameras showed that her car was near the location where the body was found on the day of the murder. In addition, police found Nathvani's cellphone at the accused's residence months after his death. Investigators determined that Boomgaard had conducted internet searches on the deceased's estate. The deceased's bank cards were also used for large transactions after his death. Mustapha was murdered in August 2020, and her body was dumped near Nathvani's. Investigators also discovered forged wills in Boomgaard's possession, naming her as Mustapha's sole heir. A handwriting expert confirmed that the wills were forged. Boomgaard initially implicated her late brother, Prem Basdeo, in the murders, but later retracted her statement. The judge noted that these varying accounts weakened her credibility. Although the state conceded that there was limited evidence about a third alleged victim, John Naisby, both victims (Nathvani and Naisby) visited Boomgaard before they disappeared. As the trial draws to a close, the court must decide whether the weight of circumstantial evidence is sufficient for a conviction. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- The Citizen
Murder accused's fate to be known tomorrow
Murder accused's fate to be known tomorrow PRETORIA – Verdict in the trial of the accused De Deur serial killer Zaheera Boomgaard is expected in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria tomorrow. Boomgaard is accused of murdering three individuals between 2012 and 2020. Judge John Holland-Muter noted during closing arguments that the evidence against Boomgaard is overwhelming, especially concerning the murders of British citizen Harry Nathvani and her girlfriend, Lynette Mustapha. Boomgaard, who pleaded not guilty, appeared emotionless when prosecutor André Wilsenach argued that the only correct conclusion that could be drawn was that Boomgaard was directly involved in the crimes. The state's case against Boomgaard relies largely on circumstantial evidence, but the evidence is convincing. Nathvani's burnt body was found in De Deur in March 2020. It is suspected that he was strangled and attacked with a blunt object. Forensic evidence linked Boomgaard's vehicle to the crime scene, and highway cameras showed that her car was near the location where the body was found on the day of the murder. In addition, police found Nathvani's cellphone at the accused's residence months after his death. Investigators determined that Boomgaard had conducted internet searches on the deceased's estates. The deceased's bank cards were also used for large transactions after his death. Mustapha was murdered in August 2020, and her body was dumped near Nathvani's. Investigators also discovered forged wills in Boomgaard's possession naming her as Mustapha's sole heir. A handwriting expert confirmed that the wills were forged. Boomgaard initially implicated her late brother, Prem Basdeo, in the murders, but later retracted her statement. The judge noted that these varying accounts weakened her credibility. Although the state conceded that there was limited evidence about a third alleged victim, John Naisby, both victims (Nathvani and Naisby) visited Boomgaard before they disappeared. As the trial draws to a close, the court must decide whether the weight of circumstantial evidence is sufficient for a conviction. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
