Three accused are going to jail but Joslin's fate remains unknown

The judge has handed down sentences but a little girl is still missing and a community's anguish remains raw

- Des Erasmus

In a sombre and methodical judgment, Judge Nathan Erasmus on Thursday sentenced Kelly Smith, Jacquen “Boeta” Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn each to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and to life imprisonment for trafficking Smith's daughter, Joslin.

Justice might have been served on the perpetrators but the whereabouts of the girl, who was six years old when she went missing from the Middelpos area of Saldanha Bay on 19 February last year, remain unknown.

Thousands of viewers had logged onto the livestream of the case at least an hour before proceedings started.

"Today we get justice!" "This is what we are here for," "Joslin, we love you so much," "Justice for Joslin," some wrote. The trial has gripped South Africa, and also attracted international interest.

The community — described by Erasmus as uniting during the ordeal — remains heartbroken. But there is still hope, it was heard this week during sentencing proceedings, that Joslin would be found.

And there were still people searching for the blue-green-eyed child.

"This is the most difficult element in any trial," Erasmus said as he began the sentencing, reiterating that decisions of such magnitude could not be made in anger. Instead, they should reflect mercy, where appropriate.

Departing from standard practice, he directly addressed the accused to explain the court's reasoning.

All the factors he described showed their moral blameworthiness, he said, and even though they were on drugs at the time, "it was no excuse".

"If it led you to the commission of the offences, you had the opportunity to tell me. You simply didn't do that.

"In fact, it seemed through the course of this trial, that you, Mr Van Rhyn and Miss Smith, found it amusing... didn't take it seriously.

"There is nothing that I can find that is redeeming and deserving of a lesser sentence than the harshest I can impose."