Anticipation builds as expert testimony looms in Joshlin Smith kidnapping sentencing
Jacquen 'Boeta' Appollis, Steveno 'Steffie' van Rhyn, and Racquel 'Kelly' Smith will be sentenced this week.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete
The highly anticipated sentencing proceedings in the Joshlin Smith matter are set to begin on Tuesday in Saldanha.
Jacquen ‘Boeta’ Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn, and Kelly Smith will know their fate before the end of this week.
The trio was found guilty on May 2 of kidnapping and human trafficking charges relating to Smith’s then-six-year-old daughter, Joshlin, who went missing on February 19, 2024.
After their detention at Pollsmoor Prison, they were transported closer to Saldanha, where the proceedings would take place at the White City Multipurpose Hall.
GONE: Joshlin Smith has been missing since February 19, 2024.
Image: Supplied
Smith is being held in Langebaan while her two co-accused are being detained at Malmesbury Prison.
This week, the State is expected to present evidence from a human trafficking expert from the US.
This will be followed by a victim impact report, which will detail the effect Joshlin’s disappearance has had on her family and her community.
It has also been stated that Boeta’s defence lawyer, Fanie Harmse, may call his mother to the stand to testify in mitigation of sentencing.
It remains unclear whether van Rhyn or Smith will call any witnesses or take the stand themselves.
State witness and former accused Laurentia Lombaard.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The court still has to deal with its state witness, former accused Laurentia Lombaard.
Lombaard was initially implicated in the matter before she turned state witness in October last year.
She previously testified that Smith sold Joshlin for R20,000 and claimed she would have received R1,000 as her cut to keep her mouth shut.
While Lombaard was part of the initial group who planned the green-eyed girl’s disappearance, it is not clear whether Judge Nathan Erasmus will have her suffer the same fate as the convicted kidnappers.
IOL