“No Mercy for Monsters”: Life Sentences Handed Down in Joshlin Smith Trafficking Case
In a powerful show of justice, Judge Nathan Erasmus has sentenced Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn to life imprisonment for their roles in the chilling kidnapping and trafficking of missing child Joshlin Smith.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, brings some relief to a nation gripped by outrage and sorrow since Joshlin’s disappearance. Although the child remains missing, the court’s decision sends a strong message that crimes against the most vulnerable will be met with the harshest penalties.
“These people showed no regard for a child’s life. They deserve no leniency,” said Javu Baloyi, spokesperson for the Commission for Gender Equality, applauding the ruling. “Mitigating issues should never be an excuse to soften justice in such horrifying cases.”
While the life sentences offer a degree of accountability, the search for Joshlin continues. Police have vowed not to give up hope until she is found.
