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Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that the confession statements made by Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn are admissible as evidence in the Joshlin Smith trial.
This decision followed a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether the statements were made voluntarily or under duress, as both accused claimed they were tortured by police.
The trial involves charges of kidnapping and human trafficking related to the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith from Middelpos, Saldanha Bay, on February 19, 2024.
Appollis and van Rhyn, along with Joshlin’s mother, Racquel “Kelly” Smith, have pleaded not guilty. The ruling allows the statements, which include claims about leaving Joshlin with a person named “Makalima,” to be used in the main trial, despite defense objections and allegations of police coercion.
