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Leach appeared in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on Friday, where the sentence was handed down.
Reinhardt Leach in the dock. Picture: X/@LThipa
Reinhardt Leach has been sentenced to 25 years for orchestrating and carrying out the murder of his girlfriend, Vicki Terblanche.
Leach appeared in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on Friday, where the sentence was handed down.
During sentencing, acting Judge Samson Dunywa highlighted the scourge of femicide and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) that have reached alarming proportions in the country and which undermine the rights of women.
In mitigation of sentence, Dunywa ruled there were some compelling circumstances to deviate from the maximum sentence, saying that Leach was remorseful, pleaded guilty and did not waste the court’s time.
After a trial of almost six weeks, Dunywa this week accepted the state’s version of events, finding Leach guilty on various charges including murder and conspiracy to murder.
Leach was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, obstruction of justice and two counts of possession of drugs.
While he pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, the State rejected his plea on the murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances charges.
The court also rejected his plea on the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
ALSO READ: Vicki Terblanche murder: Boyfriend Reinhardt Leach found guilty
During the trial, the state alleged that Leach was hired by Terblanche’s estranged husband Arnold Terblanche to murder her amid a contentious divorce and custody battle.
Arnold Terblanche has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and will be tried separately later this year.
Leach and Terblanche were arrested in 2021 after Vicki’s disappearance.
Leach’s co-accused Dylan Cullis is serving an 18-year jail sentence for the murder after entering into a plea deal with the state in March 2023.
Terblanche’s body was found in a shallow grave in Greenbushes, Nelson Mandela Bay, in October 2021.
This is a developing story
ALSO READ: Docket drama delays Terblanche murder case
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