Van Breda defence wants to appeal
STONE COLD, emotionless and not a blink of an eye. This is how convicted axe murderer Henri van Breda listened to Judge Siraj Desai as he was given three life sentences, for the murder of his family.
He was handed a life sentence each for the murder of his parents, Martin and Teresa van Breda, as well as for the murder of his brother, Rudi.
Desai handed an additional 15 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of his sister, Marli, plus 12 months for obstructing the course of justice.
The sentences will run concurrently, but Van Breda will only be eligible for parole after serving 25 years in prison. His defence team indicated it would be appealing the conviction and sentence on June 27.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “Credit for this successful prosecution and sentence must go to the prosecution and police team who worked tirelessly with circumstantial evidence while the accused maintained his innocence from day one until today despite mounting evidence against him.”
The murders occurred on January 27, 2015, in the family’s three-bedroom house at the gated De Zalze Estate, Stellenbosch.
Provincial police commissioner Khombinkosi Jula also congratulated police and the prosecution team. “The court accepted that from the crime scene there were no fingerprints, foreign DNA, forced entry to the property or breach of security to the De Zalze Estate.”
In handing out the sentence, Judge Desai said: “Each murder of one’s family constitutes severe penalties. The victims were unarmed, defenceless against a cold-blooded murderer whose violence was excessive and intuitive. We know from a witness there was an argument at your house. We can only assume the crimes were not committed in a vacuum.”