Cape Town - The guilty verdict handed down to axe murderer Henri van Breda is the first step in ensuring he goes to prison for a long time, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
After a marathon trial which lasted more than a year in the Western Cape High Court, Judge Siraj Desai on Monday found Van Breda guilty of murdering his mother Teresa, 55, father Martin, 54, and brother Rudi, 22.
He was also found guilty of the attempted murder of his sister, Marli, who was 16 when the attack took place on January 27, 2015.
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She survived a physical assault, and now suffers from retrograde amnesia.
Van Breda was also found guilty on a fifth charge of defeating the ends of justice.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “Credit needs to go to the police team and the NPA team.
“Our labs and police have shown when they do their work, they do it very well. This is the first step in the direction of ensuring he goes to jail for a long time,” Ntabazalila said.
Van Breda arrived at court on Monday holding his partner Danielle Janse van Rensburg’s hand.
She was seen to be taking deep breaths throughout proceedings and cried after Van Breda was found guilty.
Before he was taken down to the holding cell, Van Breda blew Janse van Rensburg a kiss, following which she hastily exited the courtroom.
Ben Rootman, who previously spoke on behalf of the family, on Monday said the journey to this point had been a long one.
“We have come to the end of this part, the journey has been very long,” Rootman said.
It was Van Breda’s version that an attacker wearing a balaclava broke into their house that night and bludgeoned his family with an axe.
He initially froze when it all happened, he said, and the first person Van Breda called was his then girlfriend, Bianca van der Westhuizen.
Judge Desai on Monday read a summarised judgment of 150 pages to a packed courtroom in which he criticised Van Breda’s version of events, and on more than one occasion referenced some of his actions as “odd” and “peculiar”.
“It seems odd that the killer wiped out a whole family but left one person,” Judge Desai read.
“The accused (Van Breda) left the kitchen door open after the attack. It is strange that he would not have secured the house, as the criminals would’ve been at large,” Judge Desai read.
An issue that stood out was that even though Van Breda admitted he thought his sister might still be alive, as he had heard gurgling sounds, he did not assist her.
“The duration of the emergency call was long, and he appeared to be content to have a long conversation instead of trying to save his family,” Judge Desai said.
The judge also said Van Breda was an unimpressive witness as some of his answers were vague. Van Breda also displayed a peculiar lack of empathy, Judge Desai said.
Van Breda’s legal representative, Pieter Botha, asked that Van Breda be placed under house arrest pending sentencing, and argued that he was not a flight risk.
Botha also said Van Breda was on chronic medication and suffered from epilepsy.
But State prosecutor Susan Galloway argued that the crimes were too serious for Van Breda not to be detained in a prison, and it was in the public’s interest that he be locked away.
Judge Desai ordered that Van Breda be detained in the hospital section of Pollsmoor Prison until a medical certificate is compiled outlining hismedical condition.
Sentencing proceedings are expected on June 5.