![\"IOL](\"http:\/\/www.iol.co.za\/polopoly_fs\/iol-news-dec-23-ruby-marais-1.1203969!\/image\/3181575067.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/box_300\/3181575067.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
INLSA<\/p>\n
File photo of Ruby Marais and her co-accused in Swellendam High Court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The life sentence of convicted murderer Ruby Marais – who was dubbed the \u201cblack widow\u201d for orchestrating her husband\u2019s slaying – has been reduced.<\/p>\n
Marais won her full bench appeal against her sentence in the Western High Court on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Judges Chantal Fortuin, James Yekiso and Rosheni Allie cut Marais\u2019 jail sentence from life, which is an effective 25 years, down to 20 years.<\/p>\n
However, those close to the case believed that it was likely Marais would serve only half, or little more than half, of this sentence, depending on certain circumstances.<\/p>\n
This was confirmed by criminal law expert William Booth, chairman of the criminal committee of the Law Society of SA, who said that it was possible that she would spend just 10 years behind bars. She has already served almost two years.<\/p>\n
But, parole would be depend on a number of factors, such as good behaviour in prison, the nature of her crime, whether she was a danger to society and whether she complied with rehabilitation programmes.<\/p>\n
The sentences of two of her three co-accused – hitman Ricardo Piedt, Marais\u2019 former domestic worker, Hester Afrika, and Afrika\u2019s sister, Elizabeth Lawerdien – were also reduced. Afrika and Lawerdien, who were both initially sentenced to 16 years imprisonment, had their sentences reduced to 12 years each.<\/p>\n
Piedt\u2019s appeal failed and he will continue serving his life sentence.<\/p>\n
The four of them were convicted of the murder of Cape businessman Basie Marais in August, 2009 and sentenced in February last year. Basie Marais was stabbed to death with a fishing knife on October 7, 2006, just 30m away from the couple\u2019s home in Stilbaai.<\/p>\n
In her appeal bid, Ruby Marais\u2019 advocate, Dup de Bruyn, SC, argued that the trial judge, Judge Daniel Dlodlo, erred in his finding that there was no abuse in their marriage. At least seven witnesses had testified during the trial that Marais\u2019 husband had abused her.<\/p>\n
Some of her claims were that he physically abused her by kicking, hitting and throttling her; that he abused her emotionally by shouting at her in public; that he threatened to kill her daughter; that he had extra-marital affairs and encounters with prostitutes, that he raped her regularly; that he threatened her with weapons and knives and that he would sometimes kick her dogs or throw them against a wall.<\/p>\n
The night before he had died, she had to sleep on her haunches on a cement floor.<\/p>\n
State advocate Jan Theron argued that Marais had told so many lies that it was difficult to believe her allegations about the abuse. In addition, the court had accepted that the motive for the murder was financial gain.<\/p>\n
Judges Fortuin, Yekiso and Allie found that objective testimony had been heard about the abuse in the couple\u2019s marriage, which should have been taken into account as substantial and compelling circumstances during sentencing. – Cape Times<\/p>\n
leila.samodien@inl.co.za<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read more here:
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