Notorious bouncer Gary Beuthin has been sentenced to seven years in prison for beating a Hells Angels member with a baseball bat - but not before a sound rebuking from Judge Kathy Satchwell.
"Mr Beuthin, you are a man of 44 years old. You are big enough and ugly enough to know better. You should have learnt your lesson a long time ago," Judge Satchwell said when ruling on a plea agreement entered into by Beuthin and the State.
Beuthin, along with his girlfriend Melanie van Niekerk and friend Warren Schertel, stood accused of assaulting former Hells Angels member Eduard Jacobs with a baseball bat before robbing him at gunpoint of watches and about R100 000 in cash on November 17, 2007.
At the time of the incident, Beuthin had served 15 years of a 25-year sentence for assaulting his former girlfriend and socialite Jill Reeves. He had been out on parole for only five months when top cop Director Piet Byleveld arrested him, along with Van Niekerk, for the attack on Jacobs.
On Tuesday Beuthin entered into a plea agreement in which he admitted to some of the charges in exchange for a seven-year prison sentence, which would run concurrently with "any other sentence that has already been imposed but not yet fully served".
In addition, the State would not apply to have a suspended sentence imposed on Beuthin in 2005 put into operation.
Commenting on the agreement, Judge Satchwell noted Beuthin's history of previous convictions and said she saw the fact that he had taken possession of Schertel's firearm during the attack as an aggravating factor.
"When I sentence people to 25 years in jail I want them there for 25 years. I see that the kindness of the parole board allowed you the opportunity to go free after only 14 years, in which case I would expect you to immediately wear sackcloth and ashes and spend the rest of your time in church or synagogue or mosque atoning," Judge Satchwell said as she reprimanded him for falling foul of the law so soon after being granted parole.
During her tirade, Judge Satchwell stopped and ordered that Van Niekerk be removed from court and locked in the cells.
"My Lady, may I ask why," a shaken Van Niekerk asked as she was marched downstairs.
"You may. This is because you were constantly shaking your head, pulling on the accused and trying to speak to him," Judge Satchwell responded.
She went on to say she considered the fact that Beuthin had spent more than two years awaiting trial as a mitigating factor, again commenting on Beuthin's "considerable aggression" and "thuggery".
"I am satisfied that you be convicted of this offence and feel that the sentence agreement is just," the judge said after having Van Niekerk brought back into court.
She then acquitted Van Niekerk on all counts and, before acquitting Schertel, instructed the State to institute action to have his firearm licence revoked.
The judge said she was not interested in arguments that Schertel might need a firearm for work purposes.
"If he has to get a job working on a till, then so be it," she said before ruling that Van Niekerk and Schertel were both free to go.
Beuthin's legal counsel, Mike Werner, asked that Beuthin be allowed to return to his cell at Medium A to pack up his belongings before being transferred to Medium B, where he will serve out his sentence.
"It is up to the prison to arrange for what needs to be collected and whatever he does or doesn't want anyone else to collect. I believe this can be incredibly frustrating, but I cannot give instructions to the prisons," Judge Satchwell said.