Man sentenced to 22 years for beheading Cape Town teenager

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Loud sobbing could be heard from the public gallery in courtroom 2 at the Western Cape High Court as Aljar Swartz was sentenced to 22 years behind bars for the murder of a Ravensmead teenager.

Fifteen-year-old Lee Adams was stabbed numerous times, strangled and finally decapitated at an abandoned primary school in October, 2013. Swartz planned to sell the head to a sangoma (traditional healer) for R5,000.

The victim’s mother, Gaynore Adams, had to be phsyically supported by family members, as Swartz was led down to the holding cells.

The family believes Swartz deserved a longer jail term for the gruesome beheading.

The court convicted Swartz of one count of murder, and three counts of incitement to commit murder in March this year.

On Wednesday, Western Cape High Court Judge Elize Steyn described Swartz as a “heartless individual” who had shown no remorse or compassion, but instead “knew what he was doing and enjoyed it”.

Steyn was not able to impose minimum sentencing legislation as Swartz was 17 years old at the time of the offence. Instead, she had to apply the Child Justice Act which meant she could not have him declared a dangerous criminal or sentence him to more than 25 years behind bars.

She sentenced him to 22 years, backdated to the day of his arrest on October 20, 2013.

For the Adams family, who were hoping for a sentence of life behind bars, it was a shock.

Adams’s mother sobbed outside court and was unable to speak to the media. His father, Deon Louw, described the sentence as “too little”.

He said his son was a loveable child and the family was battling to cope with the loss.

Community leader David van Wyk said the sentence was too lenient. “The court didn’t send out a good message to the community. We are not satisfied. Our community is not happy with the outcome of the case.”

Steyn said Swartz had shown no genuine remorse. She referred to the evidence of a forensic psychologist who had testified that Swartz was a “high risk” for re-offending and was a psychopath.

Major Hayden Nibbs had recommended in his pre-sentence report that the parole board should consider his findings when they consider Swartz for parole.

Steyn ordered that the contents of his report indeed be considered when that day comes.

Swartz, who is now 20 years old, showed no emotion as Steyn told him that he alone “has the capacity to reinvent his life”.

– African News Agency (ANA)