Cape Town - The management of the South African Police Services has welcomed the triple life sentence handed down to Henri Van Breda by the Western Cape High Court on Thursday. Judge Siraj Desai sentenced Van Breda to life in prison for the murders of his mother, father and older brother, 15 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of his sister and 12 months for defeating the ends of justice.
Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula congratulated both the investigation and prosecution teams for the strong case they presented to the court and reiterated the importance of the preservation of the crime scene in building a strong case.
"At the finalisation of the case, 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. Lt General Jula also praised the first respondents to the scene who ensured the crime scene was properly secured," SAPS said in a statement.
According to SAPS, the investigation into the triple murder and attempted murder was protracted due to a variety of factors. "The case in main relied on circumstantial evidence that saw the crime scene secured for 30 days, DNA analysed and the only surviving victim taking a long time to recover" from her injuries.
SAPS hopes that the successful prosecution in one of the most shocking cases in recent criminal history will boost the morale of law enforcement officials whose daily mandate it is to serve and protect the community.