Juba High Court  has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing his wife last year in the national capital, Juba.

Simon Marial Deng stabbed his wife Alakiir Lual Mabior, 24, during an altercation at their residence in the Lemon Gaba neighbourhood of Juba in October last year.

Marial, according to the court, fled to Lakes State after committing the crime but was later arrested and brought back to Juba for trial.

He was allegedly intoxicated when he killed his wife.

Prior to the verdict, he told the court that his wife insulted him and that she wanted to leave him and marry another man.

However, in today’s court, he pleaded guilty and the court handed him a life sentence.

“Simon Marial Deng is hereby sentenced to life in imprisonment with effect from the date of his detention on 18^th, October 2022,

“Number two, the parties are advised that they have a right to enjoy the automatic right to appeal against the judgement within 15 days.,

The number four judgement file has been submitted to the supreme court for confirmation reference to section 258 of the Code of the criminal procedure act 2008,” Judge Francis Amum read out the verdict in Juba Thursday.

Reacting to the verdcit, the convict’s defence lawyer said the court reduced the sentence from death to life imprisonment after the accused said he acted in the provocation.

“The court sentenced him to life imprisonment because nothing was proven because the other party is not there to prove if she was insulted or not, this is according to the court’s opinion,

“So, if the family is not pleased with the judgement, we as the lawyers will appeal and support the family in their stand of sentence to death, ” said Lawyer Ajak Abdulkerim.