Durban - ‘”Oscar all over again,” read a comment on social media after Blayne Shepard was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday.
This was after magistrate Trevor Levitt used his sentencing preamble to attack social-media users who had posted fierce opinions during the two-and-a-half-year trial.
“I have attempted to the best of my ability to avoid succumbing to the different calls out there,” he said. “I have isolated myself from calls for an absurd sentence.”
One Facebook page during the trial was even titled “Brett Williams’ Killers to Rot in Jail”.
Shepard was found guilty of culpable homicide in June following a brawl that saw the death of former Royal Marine Brett Williams at Kings Park Stadium after a match between the Sharks and the Melbourne Rebels on March 23, 2013.
Williams had been doing anti-piracy security work on a ship that had called in at Durban.
On Friday, Levitt granted Shepard leave to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
He also expressed sympathy for Shepard’s family for what his father, Shane, had called “keyboard coward” attacks.
Shepard earned Levitt’s sympathy too for a threatening message the tall, heavily muscled 25-year-old had received.
“The current partner of the deceased’s partner threatened you.”
Levitt told Shepard his being threatened by the public was unacceptable.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people express opinions without having regard to the consequences. They may one day find themselves in court and wish to have the protection this court afforded (them).”
He noted that the constitution protected freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, the post-sentence remarks on social media flowed.
“This lenient sentence does nothing to counter the culture of thuggery and bullying I have seen around the rugby scene,” Denzil Bazley wrote on Facebook.
Penny Irvine wrote: “His parents, friends and family must be delighted at his 36-month jail term. He will probably be out in 11 months.”
Dave West said: “Outrageous and scant consolation for the deceased’s family. He beat him to the ground and proceeded to stomp on his head. That’s intent in my book… three years and out in how many months? Oscar all over again!”
At least one comment was in support of Shepard.
Mazita Maz Nyahanana said: “l have had the chance to chat with this guy on numerous occasions. He is not a monster. He is actually very calm and friendly. I guess it was just an altercation that went bad. l don’t think he had the intention to kill. Be strong, Blayne.”
Williams’s fiancée and mother of his child, Louise Scott, who lives in the UK, could not be reached for comment.
Shepard was originally one of five people in the dock. His brother, Kyle, Andries van der Merwe and Dustin van Wyk also faced murder charges, but were acquitted. A fifth, Grant Cramer, had a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm withdrawn, and he testified for the State.
Kyle accompanied his parents, Shane and Carolyn, to Friday’s sentencing. With them were a number of family and friends. They consoled one another after sentence was passed and declined to speak to the media.
The Sharks welcomed the conclusion of the sentencing.
Independent on Saturday