Sentencing proceedings in the Joshlin Smith trial set to commence
Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn could face life sentences after being found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking.
Kelly Smith (foreground) and her co-accused, Jacquen Appollis ad Steveno van Rhyn, react after being found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking of Joshlin Smith in the Western Cape High Court sitting in the Saldanha Bay Multi-purpose Centre in Saldanha Bay on 2 May 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
CAPE TOWN - Sentencing proceedings in the Joshlin Smith trial are set to commence on Tuesday.
Kelly Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn could face life sentences after being found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking.
All eyes will be on Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, this week in anticipation of whether she decides to testify in mitigation of her sentence.
Smith, who has already been found guilty, chose not to take the stand during the trial.
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Before making his ruling, Judge Nathan Erasmus told the court that Smith's decision not to testify and her behaviour after Joshlin went missing were a pivotal factor in reaching his verdict.
After handing down judgement, Erasmus told legal teams he foresees a possibility that new evidence will come to light during the sentencing proceedings this week.
The proceedings will be held in the white city multipurpose centre in Saldanha Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday before sentencing is delivered on Thursday.