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Johann Nel in police cells after being sentenced to four life sentences and 62 years for murdering people at the Skierlik informal settlement.
Johan Nel has been sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment. Judge Ronald Hendricks handed down sentencing in the Mmabatho High Court in Mafikeng shortly after noon.
He sentenced Nel to life for each of the four murders he committed - a sentence Hendricks was earlier warned would cost him his life when he received death threats.
Superintendent Lesego Metsi, police spokesperson, confirmed to The Times that Hendricks received 50 threatening calls on his private cellphone on Wednesday.
Metsi said, the callers, all whites, told Hendricks he would be killed if he handed down a life sentence.
Police then stepped up security around Hendricks and the judge only minutes ago also handed down sentences of seven years for each of the eight attempted murder charges where Nel wounded his victims.
Nel was also sentenced to four years behind bars for each for the three of the attempted murder charges where Nel shot at but missed his victims.
He was also sentenced to five years for the illegal possession of a firearm, and three years for the illegal possession of ammunition.
Nel was also found to be unfit to own a firearm.
Nel showed no emotion as Hendricks handed down sentence on him. Hordes of photographers surrounded Nel as he stood in the dock, but he only kept his gaze fixed, staring ahead.
Hendricks said in his judgment racism could not be tolerated, adding it was the court’s responsibility to protect communities from people like Nel.
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