Military-style training camp commander Alex de Koker was on Thursday sentenced to an effective 25 years in prison for murdering his 15-year-old trainee‚ but co-accused Michael Erasmus received only three years of correctional supervision. Magistrate Retha Willemse said responsibility for the crime could not be shared equally between De Koker‚ 49‚ and Erasmus‚ 22‚ who was 18 years old at the time of the murder.De Koker will serve 20 years for murder‚ five years for child abuse and two years for assault with the intention to do grievous bodily harm. The child abuse and assault sentences will run concurrently.Erasmus will be under house arrest for three years. He has been sentenced to 12 years on the murder charge‚ five of which are suspended. If Erasmus does not comply with the conditions of his correctional supervision the 12-year sentence will kick in.The sentencing proceedings began at the Vereeniging Regional Court earlier this morning where Philip Venter‚ for De Koker‚ and Chris 'Dagga' Smit‚ for Erasmus‚ both asked magistrate Retha Willemse to show mercy.De Koker and Erasmus were found guilty on February 27 of murdering trainee Raymond Buys at the Echo Wild Game Rangers training camp.Neither of the accused called any witnesses to testify in mitigation of sentence.Prosecutor Kobus Jacobs‚ arguing in aggravation of sentence‚ urged Willemse to consider the extreme case of abuse before the court in her decision.In several testimonies delivered last year‚ the court heard that Buys was abused by De Koker and Erasmus over a number of weeks. The teenager‚ who died in April 2011‚ had sustained brain damage‚ a broken arm and bruises all over his body while under De Koker's care.Jacobs said De Koker had shown no remorse for his actions and had failed to take responsibility for Buys's death.Willemse also considered pre-sentencing reports prepared for De Koker and Erasmus by correctional officials before handing down the sentence. - RDM News Wire..