The long-awaited sentencing in the Joshlin Smith case began in Saldanha on Tuesday, 27 May 2025.
The case revolves around the kidnapping and trafficking of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, who went missing from her home in Saldanha Bay on 19 February 2024.
Her mother, Kelly Smith, along with Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis and Steveno Van Rhyn, were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking. The three are expected to learn their fate before the end of the week.
The trio has been held at Pollsmoor Prison since early May but were recently moved closer to Saldanha ahead of proceedings at the White City Multipurpose Hall.
Smith is currently detained in Langebaan, while Appollis and van Rhyn are being held at Malmesbury Prison.
This week, the State is expected to call a human trafficking expert from the US to give evidence. A victim impact report will also be presented, highlighting the toll Joshlin’s disappearance has taken on her family and the wider community.
In a possible move to lessen sentencing, Boeta Appollis’s lawyer, Fanie Harmse, may call Appollis’s mother to testify in mitigation.
More: IOL
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