A South African serial rapist and serial murderer, Johan Jacobus Williams has been sentenced to eight life sentences and sixty years direct imprisonment, following his spate of brutal gender-based violence and femicide.
Williams was sentenced on Friday, September 20, 2024, in the High Court of South Africa, Western Cape Division.
The National Prosecuting Authority, Regional Communications Manager, Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila, in a statement said he targeted desperate young women promising them employment opportunities, only for them to be found r@ped, m8rdered and buried in shallow graves.
The court convicted Wiliams on 19 February 2024 on 19 charges, which include six counts of kidnapping, five counts of r@pe, two counts of attempted rape, three counts of murder, a count of housebreaking with intent to commit arson and arson, a count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and failure to comply with a protection order.
The 52-year-old's reign of terror between 2012 and 2018 in Wellington saw him kidnapping and m8rdering Natalie Jonkers, Maria Isaacs, and Chantelle Matthyssen who he also r@ped.
His modus operandi was that he promised them employment opportunities, only for them to be later found m8rdered and buried in shallow graves. He lied to their families, making them believe that they were still alive by sending messages from their cellphones.
He also lied to some of the mothers, saying that she had seen their daughters and were staying at certain areas while he knew this was not the case.
The teetotaler and non-drug user also kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and her two minor children, attempted to rape, and repeatedly raped her. He contravened the protection order his ex-girlfriend took against him. He also terrorised families of his victims by damaging or burning their properties.
Williams pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the trial despite pointing out to the police the area where he buried the bodies of his victims. He argued that it was a coincidence that all three women were last seen in his company, and he did not understand how he was convicted on the charges the State preferred against him.
During the trial, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Maria Marshall described the accused as a serial murderer and rapist who showed no remorse and emotions, and in fact taunted his victims and their families.
She further described him as a danger to society and asked that the court must send a strong message that gender-based violence and femicide that is a scourge in our society will not be tolerated and the quality, dignity and freedom of all women must be protected. He treated his victims with violence, indignity and preyed on their trusting nature and desperation for money.
Handing down judgment, Judge Rosheni Alie said the accused presented an extreme danger to society and that society's interests demand that they be protected from a brutal, violent, manipulative, devious and pretentious persons such as Williams.
Regrettably, it was not only the accused on trial but also poverty and unemployment in rural areas. The evidence revealed levels of poverty and the desperate lengths that victims went to access employment opportunities and money.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Nicolette Bell, applauded investigating officer, Sergeant Van Rooyen, and Adv Marshall for their outstanding work in securing a successful prosecution and sentence in a case with an accused who wanted to avoid prosecution. Adv Bell also lauded the families of the deceased for their bravery and contribution through witness statements, which helped to secure the conviction of the accused.
"Each of these successful prosecutions is the culmination of months and even years of painstaking investigative and prosecutorial work and exemplify hundreds of similar cases prosecuted successfully daily. These cases provide some justice and closure to the victims and their families and remove violent criminals from our streets," she said.
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