17 years for killer of gay man in 'hate crime'
The National Prosecuting Authority secured a 17 year jail sentence for a Ceres man who beat and set alight a gay man who asked to have sex with him.
Judge Siraj Desai labelled the murder of Dawid Olyne a hate crime, and asked that the docket be kept open to find the others who were part of the brutal attack on him, the NPA said in a statement.
Olyne was assaulted, strangled, tortured, tied up, and set alight, after the heterosexual Christo Oncke took offence at being hit on by another man.
According to the NPA, it emerged during Oncke's trial in the Western Cape High Court that after he had attacked Olyne, he went and sang karaoke, apparently unperturbed.
A psychiatrist's report presented to Desai found that Oncke had diminished mental capacity, which led to Desai deviating from the maximum sentene of 20 years for the crime.
Oncke had six previous convictions before the murder of Olyne, but none for violence.