Woman who killed Northdale pensioner sentenced to eight years

The woman who killed Northdale pensioner Shaik Khan (69) has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, with five years wholly suspended for five years. Trisha Perumal (36) was sentenced in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Monday after previously pleading guilty to culpable homicide. The court heard that on March 23, 2025, Perumal pushed Khan, causing him to fall and hit his head during an altercation at the home they shared in Northdale, where she had been renting a room.

Evidence before the court showed that what began as a dispute over food escalated, with the accused insulting the elderly man before the incident turned fatal. Khan sustained multiple injuries, including broken ribs and shoulder blades, as well as a bruised eye, and later died in hospital. The court considered Perumal’s personal circumstances, noting that she is a first offender, well into her pregnancy and a mother of three children placed in foster care.

She is unemployed and has been living with her life partner in an informal settlement. The court also considered victim impact statements detailing the ongoing emotional toll on Khan’s family. Khan’s daughter, Nadia Alli, attended court proceedings over the past year, accompanied by friends and relatives on different occasions, in a continued effort to seek justice for her father. The deceased’s daughter has had a direct impact but I wish to mention, with utmost respect, that no sentence will bring the old man back to life.