Three adults decided to fight their life prison sentences just minutes after judges announced the punishment for taking six-year-old Joshlin Smith. Kelly Smith serves as the missing child's mother and received the same penalty as her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis. Steveno van Rhyn also got life behind bars for his role in trafficking the young girl. Western Cape High Court found all three guilty after Joshlin vanished from her Saldanha Bay home on February 19, 2024. Court evidence showed the group sold the child for 20,000 rand.
Van Rhyn's defense lawyer claims her client did nothing wrong and only tried selling a microwave at the wrong time. The convicted man says he knew nothing about kidnapping the little girl from her family. Community members feel angry that none of the three adults showed sadness during their court hearing. Joshlin's godmother visited Kelly after sentencing but still received no answers about where the child might be. Police continue searching for the missing girl despite putting the criminals in prison.
Family members struggle with mixed feelings about justice without finding Joshlin's location. Her grandmother wants to know why the boyfriend never came to her house that terrible day. Kelly's mother loves her daughter but accepts that crime brings serious consequences. Anti-violence activists say real justice means bringing Joshlin home to her worried family. Provincial police promise to keep investigating every possible clue about the missing child.
Van Rhyn's defense lawyer claims her client did nothing wrong and only tried selling a microwave at the wrong time. The convicted man says he knew nothing about kidnapping the little girl from her family. Community members feel angry that none of the three adults showed sadness during their court hearing. Joshlin's godmother visited Kelly after sentencing but still received no answers about where the child might be. Police continue searching for the missing girl despite putting the criminals in prison.
Family members struggle with mixed feelings about justice without finding Joshlin's location. Her grandmother wants to know why the boyfriend never came to her house that terrible day. Kelly's mother loves her daughter but accepts that crime brings serious consequences. Anti-violence activists say real justice means bringing Joshlin home to her worried family. Provincial police promise to keep investigating every possible clue about the missing child.
