Cape Town - Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai will hand down sentence in the trial of convicted axe murderer Henri Van Breda on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was last month convicted of three counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of defeating the ends of justice for the brutal attack on his family in January 2015 that left his parents and older brother dead, and his sister severely injured.
The attack happened in the early hours of the morning of January 27, 2015, at the Van Breda family home in the centre of a Stellenbosch security estate, De Zalze.
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Van Breda claimed that at least one, possibly two intruders, were behind the murders. He claimed that a laughing, axe-wielding intruder, wearing dark clothing, a balaclava and gloves was behind the bludgeoning attack on his family.
But Western Cape High Court judge Siraj Desai dismissed his version and said it was "nonsensical" that intruders would have entered the family home, and fled without taking anything.
He said the attacks on the family members were carried out with the intent to kill.
Van Breda had his bail revoked when he was convicted on May 21 and the judge granted a request to have him kept in the hospital section of Pollsmoor prison so that he could have access to medication for depression and epilepsy.
The hospital section, generally regarded as safe in comparison to being kept in the general prison population, did not protect Van Breda from an attack by fellow prisoners, according to weekend reports.
He was allegedly attacked
by five prisoners, and rescued by a fellow inmate who ripped a metal condom dispenser off the wall to fend off the attackers.
The question of Van Breda's safety in prison is likely to be raised by his lawyers on Tuesday who reportedly believe he will be a target in prison.