Notorious New Kids gang shooter sentenced to life behind bars

A 22-year-old gunman for the New Kids gang, one of the most notorious street gangs in Gqeberha, was sentenced to life behind bars for murder.

Claudio Calvert shot and killed 32-year-old Cameron Rayston Daniels in Helenvale on 15 July 2022 while he was walking from Leith Street in Baatjies Street, close to the Helenvale Resource Centre.

Judgment

Calvert cut a lonely figure in the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division as acting judge Hannelie Bakker handed down judgment for the convicted murderer on Wednesday.

Bakker said the inquiry into what would be an appropriate sentence a court has to impose on an offender is a huge responsibility that rests on the shoulders of presiding officers.

The judge further sentenced him to 15 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and five years for illegal possession of ammunition. 

“The accused has been convicted of two very serious offences.”

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Trial

During the trial, Calvert pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was asleep at his cousin’s house during when the crime occurred. 

Calvert denied killing Daniels and told the court that he considered the deceased a friend.

However, State Advocate Sivuyile McKay led the evidence of two witnesses, one of which testified that he had seen Calvert with a firearm in his hand, running away from the scene of the crime. 

Another 17-year-old witness, who lived at the same property as Daniels, told the court that he had witnessed the shooting and pointed at Calvert as the shooter.

In mitigation of sentence, the defence submitted that the court should take into account Calvert’s age, who was 19 years old when he committed the offence, and consider it as a compelling circumstance to deviate from the prescribed sentence of life for premeditated murder. 

However, the court agreed with Advocate McKay’s argument that, despite certain limited successes, there has been no real let-up in the gang-related crime pandemic that engulfs the country, especially Helenvale, the area where the killer and the deceased lived.

Murder

Calvert, who was in the company of an unknown man, approached Daniels, took out a firearm, and fatally shot him in broad daylight.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said  Daniels died at the scene.

“Two days after the incident, police investigations led to the arrest of Calvert, who eyewitnesses identified.”

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