Poignant result: Justice finally delivered. Such a wonderful result in this case.
Thank you to JJ, Tortoise and including WS members who followed this grueling trial and kept us informed.
Now, eyes on the sentencing. Hope it's life.
South Africa - Martin, 55, Theresa, 54, Rudi Van Breda, 22, Murdered, 26 Jan 2015 #5
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Poignant result: Justice finally delivered. Such a wonderful result in this case.
Thank you to JJ, Tortoise and including WS members who followed this grueling trial and kept us informed.
Now, eyes on the sentencing. Hope it's life.
PrimeSuspect
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Thank you so much, :tyou: JJ, Tortoise and everyone who posted and waited for the final verdict which was a long time coming! A big thank you to Judge Desai. :tyou:
May Henri Van Breda spend the rest of his years behind bars!
RIP Martin, Teresa and Rudi.
May Henri Van Breda spend the rest of his years behind bars!
RIP Martin, Teresa and Rudi.
JudgeJudi
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Here are 10 quotes from Desai's judgment that sealed Van Breda's fate:
1. "An axe would be a peculiar choice of weapon for a burglar or thief to take along to the intended crime scene."
2. "If the intention of the intruder(s) was to kill the occupants of the house, it would be senseless not to bring a weapon along. The alleged intruder clearly planned the commission of the crimes by wearing gloves, dark clothes and a balaclava mask. Laughing whilst attacking family members certainly appears to be strange behaviour for a random assailant. It can possibly be expected from a perpetrator with a personal issue."
3. "The degree of violence displayed towards the deceased victims and Marli seems to be excessive."
4. "No evidence exists to indicate a specific motive for killing any of the ... family members, whether they were killed by an unknown intruder or the accused."
5. "It is inconceivable that an unknown perpetrator would gain entry to the estate and house with great planning and effort, seriously injure the entire family in that manner for no apparent reason (except for the accused) and flee again without taking obvious valuable items from the house."
6. "Whether an intruder entered the house armed with an axe or the perpetrator armed himself with an axe from the pantry inside the house, the attack on the presumably sleeping family members on the first floor of the house and in the early hours of the morning, had to be planned. The weapon had to be taken to the first floor; it would not have been readily at hand at the time of the attack."
7. "The cut marks on [Van Breda's] chest were superficial and non-fatal. Incisions had an equal depth, were parallel and avoided sensitive areas like nipples. The chest injuries were in a reachable area for self-infliction."
8. "The bottom line is that it is unlikely that the intruder would have left finger prints with gloved hands. Only the accused's thumb print was on the knife and Rudi's DNA."
9. "The accused mentioned one intruder only in his statement to the police. In his plea explanation, the accused stated that he recalled hearing what sounded like angry voices from more than one person, somewhere else in the house after the attacker had fled the bedroom."
10. "It seems to be unlikely that Sasha (the family dog) would not have barked at intruders in the middle of the night ... it is also unlikely that she would not have barked during the attack upstairs as it could not have been a quiet event in which her owners were involved."
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/10-quotes-that-sealed-henri-van-bredas-fate-20180521
1. "An axe would be a peculiar choice of weapon for a burglar or thief to take along to the intended crime scene."
2. "If the intention of the intruder(s) was to kill the occupants of the house, it would be senseless not to bring a weapon along. The alleged intruder clearly planned the commission of the crimes by wearing gloves, dark clothes and a balaclava mask. Laughing whilst attacking family members certainly appears to be strange behaviour for a random assailant. It can possibly be expected from a perpetrator with a personal issue."
3. "The degree of violence displayed towards the deceased victims and Marli seems to be excessive."
4. "No evidence exists to indicate a specific motive for killing any of the ... family members, whether they were killed by an unknown intruder or the accused."
5. "It is inconceivable that an unknown perpetrator would gain entry to the estate and house with great planning and effort, seriously injure the entire family in that manner for no apparent reason (except for the accused) and flee again without taking obvious valuable items from the house."
6. "Whether an intruder entered the house armed with an axe or the perpetrator armed himself with an axe from the pantry inside the house, the attack on the presumably sleeping family members on the first floor of the house and in the early hours of the morning, had to be planned. The weapon had to be taken to the first floor; it would not have been readily at hand at the time of the attack."
7. "The cut marks on [Van Breda's] chest were superficial and non-fatal. Incisions had an equal depth, were parallel and avoided sensitive areas like nipples. The chest injuries were in a reachable area for self-infliction."
8. "The bottom line is that it is unlikely that the intruder would have left finger prints with gloved hands. Only the accused's thumb print was on the knife and Rudi's DNA."
9. "The accused mentioned one intruder only in his statement to the police. In his plea explanation, the accused stated that he recalled hearing what sounded like angry voices from more than one person, somewhere else in the house after the attacker had fled the bedroom."
10. "It seems to be unlikely that Sasha (the family dog) would not have barked at intruders in the middle of the night ... it is also unlikely that she would not have barked during the attack upstairs as it could not have been a quiet event in which her owners were involved."
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/10-quotes-that-sealed-henri-van-bredas-fate-20180521
Fluffykins
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Wow, just wow.
hwow: That's going to come as a massive shock to HvB, isn't it?I think my diet is difficult because there are a whole bunch of foods I don't tolerate well, and can only have them every 4th day without them causing problems (like arthritis, migraines etc). But at least I can have those problem foods - tomatoes, dairy, eggs, chicken, apples, among others - and I'm very good at juggling them so as to keep plenty of variety happening.
But this diet JJ posted - oh dear heaven, how miserably deprived is that? Six slices of bread and a drink of something for dinner - that's real punishment. And the hours!
I'd go mad having dinner at 3pm; that's my idea of a late lunch. For me, a civilised hour for dinner is around 8-9pm. Even if he's spared a crowded cell, he is not going to like how they feed him. There's nowhere near enough fresh food in there for it to be healthy. No two fruit and five vegies for you, Henri!
Fluffykins
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Oh, and I crashed out not long after 10.30 last night. Could not stay awake. Missed all the excitement! :gaah: But then I woke up early this morning and came hustling out huckly buckly to my PC, and there was the good news! :smiliescale: Yeah!
Tortoise
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Interview with Julian Jansen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh_oAwu-Rws
Tortoise
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Very brief interview with one of Henri's best friends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSP3NWl1564
Interesting that he was pleased with the verdict.
Interesting that he was pleased with the verdict.
JudgeJudi
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RSBM
I think he’ll opt for his own cell for safety reasons. Panayiotou did this. The problem is IIRC, I think they’re confined to their cells almost all day and only get to go outside once a week for a bit of fresh air.
He’s going to have a lot of time to reflect on what he’s done and he’s going to lose all the best years of his life.
Wow, just wow.
But this diet JJ posted - oh dear heaven, how miserably deprived is that? Six slices of bread and a drink of something for dinner - that's real punishment. And the hours!
There's nowhere near enough fresh food in there for it to be healthy. No two fruit and five vegies for you, Henri!
I think he’ll opt for his own cell for safety reasons. Panayiotou did this. The problem is IIRC, I think they’re confined to their cells almost all day and only get to go outside once a week for a bit of fresh air.
He’s going to have a lot of time to reflect on what he’s done and he’s going to lose all the best years of his life.
JudgeJudi
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Apart from Missing Persons and one or two similar threads, it looks like all the others were shut down yesterday. It would seem that either Tricia or one of the mods decided to show some mercy. I can't thank them enough for this. We've been well and truly spoiled.
Fluffykins
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Wow, eh. Marli's ex-boyfriend Stefan van der Westhuizen. Just paraphrasing:
"He was a good friend of mine for more than a year, was actually my best friend - it was very emotional for me to see him in that state and I felt very sorry for him - but personally I'm happy with the outcome."
Poor boy. He thought Henri was worthy of his friendship, only to find out what he really was.
Fluffykins
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And are well and truly grateful, there's still four of us in here atm. Not easy to let go of an involvement like this. We're still processing it.
Like Tortoise, I so much wanted to see HvB in handcuffs. It was the first thing I googled this morning, after checking the forum! Thanks for that good big photo, JJ! :tyou:
JudgeJudi
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He attended the memorial service in Pretoria but was shielded from the media.
His uncle, André van Breda, speaking outside the Moreleta Park church, said the family needed to protect Henri.
“For obvious reasons Henri is very heartbroken, and we will support him as the family. We as family are here for him, we will not disappoint him,” he said.
https://www.iol.co.za/news/van-breda-son-at-memorial-service-1814108
More in the article.
JudgeJudi
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Eleven objective facts sealed the fate of convicted murderer Henri van Breda.
1. The family lived in a security estate and there was no evidence of any unlawful entry onto De Zalze at the time of the attack.
2. While not impenetrable, a reasonably high degree of skill, knowledge of the layout and its security system as well as some expertise in planning was necessary to enter De Zalze.
3. Fortuitous unlawful entry was "most unlikely".
4. No indication typical of a house robbery or burglary, showing any intruder/s being inside the house was evident.
5. Four of the five Van Breda family members were found brutally attacked in a similar fashion and left (for) dead.
6. The family members were all in very close proximity in the sleeping areas of the house.
7. Van Breda was left standing and lived through the events.
8. The accused sustained injuries supposedly inflicted by the same attacker in the same incident and in the execution of the same intent - yet markedly different in nature and extent to that of the rest of his relatives.
9. The evidence conclusively shows that some, if not all of his wounds, were self-inflicted, with the State experts' evidence standing uncontradicted despite the defence having had access to several experts of their own.
10. Van Breda's version of how the incident unfolded was inconsistent with the objective evidence found on the scene.
11. He amended material aspects of his version when he became aware of the irreconcilability of his version with material aspects of the evidence.
11 facts that led to Henri van Breda's conviction
1. The family lived in a security estate and there was no evidence of any unlawful entry onto De Zalze at the time of the attack.
2. While not impenetrable, a reasonably high degree of skill, knowledge of the layout and its security system as well as some expertise in planning was necessary to enter De Zalze.
3. Fortuitous unlawful entry was "most unlikely".
4. No indication typical of a house robbery or burglary, showing any intruder/s being inside the house was evident.
5. Four of the five Van Breda family members were found brutally attacked in a similar fashion and left (for) dead.
6. The family members were all in very close proximity in the sleeping areas of the house.
7. Van Breda was left standing and lived through the events.
8. The accused sustained injuries supposedly inflicted by the same attacker in the same incident and in the execution of the same intent - yet markedly different in nature and extent to that of the rest of his relatives.
9. The evidence conclusively shows that some, if not all of his wounds, were self-inflicted, with the State experts' evidence standing uncontradicted despite the defence having had access to several experts of their own.
10. Van Breda's version of how the incident unfolded was inconsistent with the objective evidence found on the scene.
11. He amended material aspects of his version when he became aware of the irreconcilability of his version with material aspects of the evidence.
11 facts that led to Henri van Breda's conviction
JudgeJudi
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There was no direct evidence implicating Van Breda.
"Each piece of evidence on its own might not be enough to establish the guilt of the accused but the cumulative effect of all the pieces concludes the puzzle. Independent circumstances point to the same conclusion. This leads to only one reasonable inference," Desai said in his 103-page summary judgment.
"The court finds that the accused had sufficient time to tamper with the scene and thus portray him to be a victim."
After appearing to nod off at times as Desai went through the extensive details of the case which led to his verdict, Van Breda was stone'-faced when the judge found him guilty of all counts.
Prosecutor Susan Galloway objected to Van Breda being released on bail ahead of sentencing proceedings and a possible appeal.
Desai ruled that the interest of society dictated that he be detained.
11 facts that led to Henri van Breda's conviction
Bearing in mind this was a summary of his judgment, no doubt it contains the most relevant aspects that led him to reach his conclusion that HvB was guilty. The judgment itself may also contain many other pieces of the puzzle that were of lesser importance, but nonetheless added to the mosaic in its entirety.
"Each piece of evidence on its own might not be enough to establish the guilt of the accused but the cumulative effect of all the pieces concludes the puzzle. Independent circumstances point to the same conclusion. This leads to only one reasonable inference," Desai said in his 103-page summary judgment.
"The court finds that the accused had sufficient time to tamper with the scene and thus portray him to be a victim."
After appearing to nod off at times as Desai went through the extensive details of the case which led to his verdict, Van Breda was stone'-faced when the judge found him guilty of all counts.
Prosecutor Susan Galloway objected to Van Breda being released on bail ahead of sentencing proceedings and a possible appeal.
Desai ruled that the interest of society dictated that he be detained.
11 facts that led to Henri van Breda's conviction
Bearing in mind this was a summary of his judgment, no doubt it contains the most relevant aspects that led him to reach his conclusion that HvB was guilty. The judgment itself may also contain many other pieces of the puzzle that were of lesser importance, but nonetheless added to the mosaic in its entirety.
JudgeJudi
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Andre van Breda is heartbroken by the judgment that found his nephew Henri guilty of killing his father, mother, and brother, and seriously injuring his sister, but is glad to have closure over what happened at De Zalze in 2015.
He said, "The family respects the court decision and accepts it," on Tuesday. "It's heart-breaking," but the family was grateful to finally have closure.
"It's very emotional," he said. He watched the live broadcast of the judgment while in Pretoria and will be travelling to Cape Town for the sentencing. “We will be there”.
Van Breda's uncle 'heartbroken', but accepts judgment
I’m one of those people who don’t believe in closure. It’s not as if you simply close a chapter of your life and move on, at least for me. For whatever reason, those family members were disposed of as unnecessary hindrances by this cold-blooded, merciless, emotionless and remorseless killer.
He said, "The family respects the court decision and accepts it," on Tuesday. "It's heart-breaking," but the family was grateful to finally have closure.
"It's very emotional," he said. He watched the live broadcast of the judgment while in Pretoria and will be travelling to Cape Town for the sentencing. “We will be there”.
Van Breda's uncle 'heartbroken', but accepts judgment
I’m one of those people who don’t believe in closure. It’s not as if you simply close a chapter of your life and move on, at least for me. For whatever reason, those family members were disposed of as unnecessary hindrances by this cold-blooded, merciless, emotionless and remorseless killer.
tmar
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I am way behind, so do not know if this will be discussed, in later posts.
What does this statement mean Tortoise: that Henri cannot appeal the judgement????
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