NPA: Van Breda conviction 'a first step'
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape has welcomed the guilty verdict handed down to murderer Henri van Breda.
The 23-year-old was found guilty of the murder of his father Martin, mother Teresa, brother Rudi, and the attempted murder of his sister Marli in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
Western Cape High Court Judge Siraj Desai also found van Breda guilty of defeating the ends of justice for tampering with the crime after the axe attack at the family's luxury Stellenbosch home in January 2015.
Desai told the court that it is unlikely that an alleged perpetrator would bring a similar axe to the one that's kept in the family home, and inflict similar injuries.
He added that there's a striking similarity between Van Breda's injuries and textbook photos of self-inflicted wounds.
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Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila says van Breda will be will be detained in the hospital section of Pollsmoor prison for now.
"We are happy. This is the first step to ensure that he goes to jail for a long time," Ntabazalila told reporters outside court. "You heard that we opposed that he be released on bail but we considered that he can be detained at Pollsmoor prison's hospital section on condition that we do get a medical certificate that confirms the sickness that he has."
Van Breda is on chronic medication epilepsy.
Sentencing is due to start on June 5.