A policeman and his co-accused have been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of Chanelle Henning, a report has said.
According to Eyewitness News, suspended policeman Gerhardus du Plessis and co-accused Willem Pieterse appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday where they pleaded guilty to murdering Henning.
The 26-year-old was shot dead on November 8, while driving home after dropping off her five-year-old son at a pre-primary school in Manitoba Drive in Faerie Glen, Pretoria.
Witnesses told police that two men on a motorcycle overtook her car and fired several shots. One hit her in the chest, fatally wounding her. Her car continued moving for about 100m before crashing into a rock on the pavement.
Du Plessis has confessed to being the one who gunned down Henning.
Part of the plea agreement is that Du Plessis and Pieterse would testify against the other accused, the report said.
The pair have given details of the weeks leading up to the Pretoria mom’s murder.
They have also implicated co-accused Ambrose Monye and Andre Gouws as the men who commissioned the hit.
Du Plessis said Monye organised the hitmen, while Gouws provided all the information including Henning's address, Eyewitness News said.
Du Plessis and Pieterse were also sentenced to five years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and three years for the possession of ammunition.
The sentences will run concurrently, which means they will serve an effective 18 years behind bars. - IOL, Sapa