Three Sentenced to Life for Murder of British Botanists in South Africa

A South African court has handed down life sentences to three individuals convicted of the kidnapping, robbery, and murder of a British couple in February 2018.

Rachel Saunders, 64, and her husband Rodney, 73, were abducted while visiting the Ngoye Forest, located approximately 150km (93 miles) north of Durban.

The couple, both botanists, had been gathering indigenous seeds and plants before their bodies were discovered in a river several days later.

On Thursday, the KwaZulu-Natal division of the Durban High Court sentenced Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 46, his wife Fatima Patel, 35, and Malawian national Ahmad Mussa to two life terms each following their convictions last month.

According to a statement from the South African police service, the trio was also convicted of stealing the couple’s possessions, including bank cards used to make several purchases in the vicinity of Durban.

Following the couple’s disappearance, investigators discovered their vehicle bearing bloodstains. It was later revealed that approximately 734,000 rand (£42,000; $44,700) had been drained from their bank accounts.

Alongside the life sentences, each defendant received 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and four years for theft.

Del Vecchio received an additional five-year sentence for an unrelated charge of malicious damage to property.

The court ordered that all sentences be served concurrently.

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