The man convicted of murdering Miscah Fakier has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Elridge du Plessis, 37, was sentenced in the Wynberg Regional Court on Friday June 7.

Ms Fakier’s cousin, Fadwah Vardien, told the Sentinel that the family were happy with the sentencing, which came six years after Du Plessis doused the 44-year-old Hangberg mother of four in petrol and set her alight (“Six years is a long time to put somebody to rest,” May 31).

“It was a very emotional day, the family cried in court, but we are very happy with the sentence,” Ms Vardien said.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, the State alleged that Du Plessis, a drug dealer, had accused Ms Fakier of stealing drugs and cash from him before assaulting her, pouring petrol on her and setting her alight with a cigarette lighter.

Ms Vardien praised Captain Charl Muller, the investigating officer in the case.

“He has sacrificed years of service in Hout Bay, and this was his biggest case ever, but he stood by our family every step of the way. He was very supportive and kept us in the loop of what was happening.”

She said Captain Muller, who works in the detective unit at Wynberg police station, had shown concern for the family and their wellbeing.

Captain Muller said the case had dragged on for so long because the accused had changed his attorneys four times.

“It was quite a lengthy journey, and I must compliment the deceased’s family for attending court each time, despite all the postponements each time. Their support was very crucial in this case.

“From the beginning, I kept the family updated on all the postponements and attended most of them with the relatives who were present there. Mr Du Plessis was found guilty of a schedule 6, premeditated murder, and the post-mortem was also not disputed by the defence.”

He said Du Plessis’s defence attorneys had tried to get him a plea bargain that would have seen him serve 12 years.

“This was discussed with the deceased’s family, but we came to a mutual agreement that we’d rather go to trial to see if we can get a life sentence.

“During the sentencing, the prosecutor also argued that the accused never showed remorse nor apologised to the deceased’s family during the six years except only on the day of sentencing, which was very unusual.”

Captain Charl Muller was the investigating officer in the case.

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