JOHANNESBURG — A South African mother and two accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday (May 29) for trafficking her then-six-year-old daughter, in a case that gained ...

Judge Nathan Erasmus handed down sentences to Smith, van Rhyn and Appollis on 29 May 2025, giving them life in prison for human trafficking and 10 years for kidnapping.

Racquel 'Kelly' Smith, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn have been found guilty on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking regarding the disappearance of Joshlin Smith.

Smith, Van Rhyn and Appollis could face life in prison - a date for sentencing is yet to be set. In a statement following the judgment, the police said they would continue in their search for Joshlin.

Jacquen Appollis, Steveno van Rhyn, and Joshlin’s mother, Kelly, are facing charges related to the disappearance of the six-year-old, who vanished from her Middlepos home in Saldanha Bay in ...

Accused number two in the Joshlin Smith trial, Steveno van Rhyn, faced intense cross-examination on Thursday over his claims of police torture and coerced confessions. The Western Cape High Court ...

Steveno van Rhyn, accused number two in the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, was cross-examined in the Western Cape High Court sitting at the Saldanha Bay Multi-purpose Centre on 16 April 2025.

Stevano van Rhyn claimed he was interrogated and physically assaulted. Stevano van Rhyn during the Joshlin Smith trial at White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay on 8 April 2025.

Van Rhyn and co-accused, Jacquen Appollis, claim they were tortured by police to admit their involvement in Joshlin's disappearance. Captain Seekoei will continue being cross-examined by defence ...

Steveno van Rhyn claims police suffocated him with plastic and forced a false confession in the Joshlin Smith case, while Detective Sergeant Dawid Fortuin firmly denies all allegations of torture ...

Appollis, Van Rhyn and Smith face charges of kidnapping and human trafficking for exploitation after Joshlin’s 19 February 2024 disappearance from the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay.