Henri Van Breda awaits verdict for ‘murdering family in South Africa’

The son of a millionaire South African property tycoon was in court on Monday to learn his fate after being accused of butchering his family with an ax.

Henri van Breda, 23, had denied murdering his 21-year-old brother Rudi and parents Martin, 54, and Teresa, 55, and leaving his sister Marli struggling with near-fatal injuries to her head, neck and throat.

During the trial, van Breda told the court that an intruder had entered the family’s house late at night on an exclusive estate in Stellenbosch, outside Cape Town, in January 2015.  

Henri van Breda is accused of butchering his mother, father and brother with an axe before leaving his sister to bleed to death during a horror attack in Cape Town in 2015

He claimed he had been ‘watching helplessly’ as the killer attacked his family members, but that he then fought with the masked man – and single-handedly disarmed him – before the attacker took off.  

But in his summary, Western Cape High Court judge Siraj Desai raised multiple questions about the defence case.

‘The court is in agreement that it is highly unlikely that the security was breached by an intruder from outside the estate,’ Desai said.

‘The accused could not say how the security was breached (and) confirmed that he never felt insecure, unsafe or threatened while living on the estate.’

Desai also the axe used in the attack was kept in the house, and questioned why Van Breda did not immediately call for help after the attack. 

Martin Van Breda (right), wife Teresa, and eldest son Rudi (centre) all died from horror head wounds they suffered during the attack. Marli (front) survived

Martin Van Breda (right), wife Teresa, and eldest son Rudi (centre) all died from horror head wounds they suffered during the attack. Marli (front) survived

Supporter: Henri van Breda arrives with his partner Danielle Janse van Rensburg at the Western Cape High Court to hear the verdict in his trial today

Supporter: Henri van Breda arrives with his partner Danielle Janse van Rensburg at the Western Cape High Court to hear the verdict in his trial today

Marli Van Breda, who was just 15 at the time of the attack, suffered a severed jugular from a blow to her neck but somehow survived her injuries

Marli Van Breda, who was just 15 at the time of the attack, suffered a severed jugular from a blow to her neck but somehow survived her injuries

‘If the accused’s intention was to be helped as soon as possible, it does not explain why he first called his girlfriend, a minor schoolgirl residing in a hostel, several times from his mobile phone,’ Desai said.

During his evidence, van Breda had claimed that he was in the toilet when he saw the masked intruder attacking his family. 

He said he had survived the attack with superficial stab wounds inflicted after he wrestled with the attacker who was trying to slit his throat. He said he then fell unconscious.

The state insisted the wounds were self-inflicted. 

‘The accused testified that he was unaware of anyone with grudges against the family,’ Desai said.

‘The accused testified that he could not think of a reason… why the intruder did not simply remove valuables from the house.

‘The accused denied having any serious arguments with his family and stated that there was nothing out of the ordinary the night before the attack.’

Prosecutors say injuries Van Breda sustained that night (left) are ‘textbook’ examples of ‘self-inflicted’ injuries. Marli  (right) was unable to give evidence during the trial

Van Breda, who stands to inherit the family millions if he is found innocent, claims a masked attacker killed his family with this axe before he fought him off

Van Breda, who stands to inherit the family millions if he is found innocent, claims a masked attacker killed his family with this axe before he fought him off

Van Breda’s family had relocated to Australia many years ago before returning home to South Africa in 2014.

Believing he was about to be arrested, van Breda handed himself in to a local police station 18 months after the killings.

The trial generated fevered interest over a privileged son allegedly unleashing a savage attack on his family, whose fortune, derived from property, has been estimated at $16 million (£12million).

Van Breda’s claim of an intruder had echoes of Oscar Pistorius’s defence that he thought a burglar was hiding in the toilet when he fired four times through the door killing his girlfriend.

In a tape of van Breda’s call to emergency services, he said his family members were ‘bleeding from the head’ before he appeared to giggle briefly.

The judge will continue his summary later Monday. 



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