Kelly Smith, Steveno Van Rhyn and Jacquin Appollis Return to Court, Trio to Appeal Life Sentences
- Kelly Smith, Jacquin Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn will appear in the Western Cape High Court in August 2025
- The trio was convicted of human trafficking and kidnapping, and sentenced to life behind bars in May 2025
- The lawyers for the convicted trio filed the applications for leave to appeal less than a week after the sentencing
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WESTERN CAPE - Kelly Smith, Jacquin Appollis, and Steveno van Rhyn will return to court in August 2025.
The trio was found guilty of the kidnapping and human trafficking of Joslin Smith. The Saldanha Bay girl was last seen on 19 February 2024 at her Middlepos home.
Her mother, Kelly, as well as Van Rhyn and Appollis, were sentenced to life imprisonment for trafficking and given a further ten years for the kidnapping on 29 May 2025.
PAY ATTENTION: stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Why will the trio appear again?
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the attorneys for the trio filed notices to appeal Judge Nathan Erasmus’ ruling and sentencing. The appeals filed made less than a week after he sentenced them to life. The NPA was then waiting for the judge to decide on a date for the applications for leave to appeal to be heard, which has since been confirmed.
NPA spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, has now confirmed that the application will be heard on 12 and 13 August. He added that the NPA would oppose the applications, as they were confident that there were no prospects of success.
What about Lourencia Lombaard?
Judge Erasmus will also decide whether Lourencia Lombaard is granted indemnity. Lombaard was originally arrested along with the other three, but then turned state's witness.
As a Section 204 witness, she could be granted indemnity from prosecution if she was found to be a credible witness. Judge Erasmus will decide her fate in a separate hearing, which will be held on 13 August 2025.
Both matters will be heard at the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town.
Source: Getty Images
What you need to know about the Joslin Smith trial
- Lourencia Lombaard testified that a sangoma wanted Joslin for her eyes and skin.
- Advocate Rinesh Sivnarain accused Lombaard of being the mastermind behind Joslin’s disappearance.
- Appollis detailed how police allegedly tortured him while he was at the Sea Border offices.
- One of the defence lawyers alleged that police told Van Rhyn and Appollis what to say in their statements.
- Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that statements made by Appollis and Van Rhyn may be admitted as evidence.
- Kelly and her two co-accused were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping.
- Kelly claimed that the witnesses lied, accused the court of being biased, and even said her lawyer was incompetent.
How does an appeal work?
If you lose a court case, either civil or criminal, you can ask a higher court to look at the decision. An appeal is when you ask the higher court to check if the law was used correctly. You can only appeal if there is a serious legal issue, not just because you are unhappy with the result.
A review looks at whether the correct legal steps were followed in the case. It is used when something went seriously wrong, like the judge being biased, using the wrong evidence, or the court not having the right to hear the case.
Usually, the losing side appeals. In criminal cases, this could be a convicted person. The National Prosecuting Authority can also appeal if it believes the sentence was too light.
If you appeal a decision from a Magistrate’s Court, it goes to the High Court in your province. If you are still not satisfied with that outcome, you can appeal again. This second appeal usually goes to a full bench of three judges in the same High Court or to the Supreme Court of Appeal. If the case involves constitutional issues, the final appeal can be made to the Constitutional Court.
Smith, Appollis, Van Rhyn sentenced to life imprisonment
Briefly News also reported that Smith, Appollis and Van Rhyn were sentenced to life behind bars.
The trio was found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping in the Joslin Smith trial. Judge Nathan Erasmus stated that Smith, Appollis and Van Rhyn showed no remorse.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
