SENTENCING STATEMENTS

On sentencing, Lady Ross told Isaacs:

"Mompati Dodo Isaacs.  The jury found you guilty of the murder of your wife, Keotshepile Naso Isaacs.  New Year’s Day would normally be a time for thinking about new beginnings and the future, but in the early hours of 1 January 2024 in the family home in North Berwick you brought Naso’s life to an end.  In doing so, you acted with horrible and sustained violence.

In the last weeks of her life, you and Naso had experienced some difficulties in your relationship.  The jury heard quite extensive evidence about arguments and communications between you and about your complaints and criticisms.  You became jealous and angry.  You attributed your actions on that day to problems you experienced with your mental health, but in convicting you of the crime of murder, the jury clearly rejected your contention that you suffered from diminished responsibility at the time you committed this offence.  You also contended that you acted as you did because you were provoked by your wife’s behaviour but plainly the jury did not accept that either.  Your actions were deliberate and they were wicked.  You have told others that, at the time, you wanted to kill yourself, but the awful reality is that you killed Naso.  You had been drinking alcohol.  You took to social media to ventilate some of your grievances and your anger.  But then you took a knife from the kitchen, you returned to the bedroom, you woke up Naso and then you stabbed her nine times in the head and neck.  She sustained horrific injuries.  She must have suffered pain and desperate fear. The forensic pathologist explained that there were cuts to Naso’s hands which were typical of defensive injuries.  One stab wound resulted in significant injury to the large blood vessels within the neck and extensive blood loss.  Another wound resulted in injury to the spine.  Not long afterwards, alerted by concerned friends who had seen your messages, police officers came to the house.    Notwithstanding the brave efforts of those first on the scene, nothing could be done to save her.  Naso could not have survived this terrible attack.   She died.  You murdered her.  

Naso was 33 years old.  She was a mother.  You have deprived three children, who are still young, of her love and care, and that is a terrible loss.  When you killed her, these three children, and another family member, were asleep in the house.  Whilst it is a mercy that they were not immediately present, the knowledge of your actions will be a continuing burden for them.  There are consequences, too, for Naso’s wider family.  The victim impact statement provided by Naso’s cousin speaks of her loss, and the grief felt by family members in Botswana. 

Naso had been in Scotland for several years.  Like you, she was from Botswana.  She came here to work and she had a responsible and important job as a support worker and a carer.  She had formed a good network of friends and colleagues and they too have experienced grief and loss.

You are 39 years of age.  I have considered carefully all that has been said on your behalf by Mr Jones this morning and I have also taken into account the criminal justice social work report.  Within that report, there are references to your views about your mental health.  Whilst, as I have said, the jury rejected your contention that you suffered from diminished responsibility at the time of the offence, the state of your mental health is a relevant consideration and it is something that I have taken into account in considering mitigation.  I have information about that both from the criminal justice social work report and from the evidence at trial.  I understand that you experienced some depressive symptoms at the time, and that that is part of a longer history.  At the same time, I recognise that your words and actions in the period immediately prior to the offence indicate jealousy and anger. 

You have expressed remorse.  You miss your wife and you regret your actions.  The report suggests, however, that you may have only limited insight into the consequences of your crime for other people, although I understand from Mr Jones that  you do not accept that that is the case. I understand too that you are currently dealing with problems to do wit

h your physical health.

You have no previous convictions and you have a reasonably good employment record.  You are a well-educated man and, in the past, you have worked hard to support your family.  These are positive factors which I take into account.

The sentence for the crime of murder is fixed by law.  You will be sentenced to life imprisonment.  That is the only sentence which the court can impose on you in respect of this offence.  The court must select a period known as the punishment part.  This is the period of time that you will serve in prison before you can make any application to be considered for release.  Whether you actually are, or are not, released at any time thereafter will be a matter for the Parole Board for Scotland.  In determining the punishment part, I consider the need to punish you for the crime committed and the need for deterrence in relation to committing the crime of murder.  The law requires that I ignore any risk that you may present to the public in the future.

I need to take into account the seriousness of the crime of murder.  I also take into account, of course, your own personal circumstances.  As for the crime, this was a brutal and violent attack using a knife against your wife, who was utterly defenceless.  You murdered her in her own home.  This was a despicable act.

The sentence which I impose on you in respect of this indictment is the mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life.  The punishment part is set at a period of 21 years.  Of that period, I attribute 2 years to the aggravation libelled in the charge.  This sentence will run from 12 January 2024, that being the date on which you were remanded in custody."