Judge ‘not satisfied’ with murderer’s 25-year sentence

A former waiter’s admission that he was high on CAT when he stabbed an elderly woman to death on Monday did not impress a North Gauteng High Court judge.

Johan Visser, 35, admitted that he had, in September 2015, broken into the home of his former manager, Danie Cassel, and his mother, Anita, and attacked them with a knife, killing the 60-year-old woman.

According to a plea bargain agreement with the state, Visser would have been sentenced to 25 years after admitting guilt – a sentence that did not satisfy Judge Bert Bam, who said he would have imposed a minimum of 40 years behind bars.

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Visser had previously lived with the Cassels in their Wonderboom home, but moved out after he lost his job at a pizza restaurant where Cassel was one of the managers.

Visser said he had entered their home that night because he wanted the keys to the restaurant as he was owed R3 000 and Cassel did not want to pay him.

He had stabbed Anita Cassel in the chest with a steak knife when she woke up. When her son came to her aid, Visser stabbed him as well and head-butted him while looking for the restaurant keys.

He then hid in the bushes near the house for a while before arranging for his girlfriend to take him to the restaurant, where he entered through the back door.

Visser said he had snorted CAT in the Cassels’ home before he attacked them. He said he had started using drugs at the age of 12 and was also addicted to gambling.

Visser’s trial was postponed until May to start before another judge.

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