A South African woman convicted of kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life in prison, along with her two accomplices.
The jail terms for Racquel “Kelly” Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn come more than a year after Joshlin Smith mysteriously disappeared outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town.
Despite a highly publicised search for the girl, who vanished in February 2024, she is yet to be found.
South African prosecutors say she was sold into slavery however this was not definitively proven during the trial.
It is believed that Smith, who was addicted to drugs, needed the money.
The sentencing follows an eight-week trial that captivated South Africa, with witnesses and prosecutors making a number of shocking allegations.
Judge Nathan Erasmus said he “drew no distinction” between the trio in handing down the sentences.
“On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,” he said to loud applause in the courtroom.
Judge Erasmus took over an hour to deliver the sentence and was measured as he gave a brief summary of the case and highlighted points that stood out during the trial.
He rebuked the trio, especially Van Rhyn and Smith, saying they showed no remorse for their actions.
“There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming or deserving of a lesser sentence,” he said.
He also spoke of the impact their conduct had on the community of Middelpos, where the girl lived, saying it had left residents “fractured”.
Smith, 35, and her accomplices showed no emotion as their sentences were read out in the community centre in Saldanha where the trial was held to allow residents to attend proceedings.
Police said the search for the little girl would continue, even beyond South Africa’s borders.
“We will not rest until we find [out] what happened to Joshlin. We are continuing day and night looking for her,” Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile told local media.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence and lauded the work of its team in proving that Joshlin was “sold [and] delivered to the intended buyer” for the purpose of “exploitation, namely slavery or practices similar to slavery”.
During the trial, the identity of the “intended buyer” was never revealed.
The BBC asked the NPA for further details, however a spokesperson was unable to provide any.
Emotions were high ahead of the sentencing, with angry community members saying the trio should get a “harsh sentence because they deserve it”. (BBC)
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