Johannesburg -
‘My son has contravened the Ten Commandments. He must repent before God and serve his sentence.”
This was the reaction of Charmain Olivier, the mother of Dean Vermeulen who was accused of killing Pretoria North resident, Francois le Grange.
He was convicted of robbery and given 12 years in jail.
The 51-year-old victim died of a crushed skull and facial injuries after he was bashed over the head with a heavy door-stopper.
Le Grange met his end after he invited Vermeulen and his friend, Ben Strydom, to his home for coffee.
However, the two men beforehand conspired to rob Le Grange of his BMW, so they could sell it as they needed money.
Vermeulen maintained that while he was in on the plan to rob Le Grange, he had no idea that Strydom was going to kill the man.
Strydom was earlier sentenced to a total of 30 years’ imprisonment for the killing and robbing of Le Grange, after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
He has to serve an effective 12 years.
He testified during the trial of Vermeulen this week in the High Court in Pretoria, that his friend knew he was going to kill Le Grange.
Strydom said he, Vermeulen and another friend obtained dagga on the morning of May 19, 2013, which they smoked in a park close to Le Grange’s home.
They made plans on how to rob him and when the older man sent him a text message, inviting him to his home, they executed their plan.
Strydom said Vermeulen was due to pick an argument with Le Grange and that they would then punch him with their fists until he was unconscious.
The plan was to take his car and to sell it immediately.
While he was making coffee, Strydom noticed a stone door-stopper in the kitchen, which he hid under his clothes. He went back to the lounge where Vermeulen and the victim were arguing.
He said he showed Vermeulen the door-stopper before hitting the man several times over the head.
Vermeulen, on the other hand, said he was surprised when his friend hit the man with the object and asked him “what the f***?”
Judge Lettie Malopa acquitted Vermeulen of murder, saying that it did not seem as if he was aware of the fact that his friend planned to kill Le Grange.
The judge pointed out that Strydom’s version between last year when he was sentenced and this year had changed, as he initially claimed he was upset with Le Grange and attacked him because the older man had, the previous night, insisted on having sex with him.
Olivier afterwards said her son was ready for jail, as he wanted to pay his dues -both to God and to the family of the victim
. “He is a good boy, but he simply got involved with bad friends,” she said.
Pretoria News