Prosecution wants two life sentences Courtney Pieters’ killer

The prosecution wants Courtney Pieters’ killer sentenced to two life terms.

Judge Pearl Mantame convicted Mortimer Saunders of murder and rape of the three-year-old in the high court in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Mantame rejected Saunders’ confession that he had killed her but did not rape her.

Eric Ntabazalila‚ spokesperson for the prosecution in the Western Cape‚ said the state welcomed the judgment. He said the prosecution would ask the court to impose a harsh sentence.

“We are pleased with the outcome of this case‚” said Ntabazalila.

“We will ask for a prescribed minimum sentence for each of the charges‚ which is life imprisonment for each. The child died a very painful death [she was killed by a] liar.

"It is up to him to come and tell why he did what he did. All we had here was a statement where he put his version of what happened‚ which was dismissed by the court.”

Mantame described Saunders‚ who has no previous convictions‚ as dishonest.

In his confession‚ Saunders said he gave Courtney ant poison which he had bought earlier to repel ants in his room. But Mantame said all the witnesses who shared the house with Saunders testified that they had not had an ant problem.

“The accused wanted to kill the deceased‚” said Mantame. “He procured the poison. He went to mix the poison with water outside his room in the sink.

“He threatened the deceased if she did not drink it. He hit her on the forehead and choked her. [This was a] painful‚ agonising experience which is borne out by the injuries to her body. The accused had ample time to stop his evil deed.”

In his plea explanation in May‚ Saunders said: “I unlawfully and intentionally committed a sexual act with a corpse.”

Courtney was murdered in her home in Elsies River in May‚ 2017. Saunders was a tenant in her home at the time‚ and he was also friends with Courtney’s father‚ Aaron Fourie.

The little girl was in the care of her six-year-old brother. According to Saunders‚ she irritated him by waking him up because she wanted to watch television in his room.

“Irritated at having been woken a second time‚ and compounded by ill feelings between myself and her mother‚ I decided to give her ant poison‚” Saunders said.

He had bought the poison‚ which was in powder form‚ months earlier to repel ants in his room‚ he claimed. He mixed it with water.

“Initially she did not want to drink it‚ but on telling her to do so she did‚” he said.

The incident received wide media coverage at the time. Then-president Jacob Zuma visited the family and said he was appalled at Saunders’ act.

“That a man who stays here can rape the child‚ kill the child in the bedroom… and break every bone to make the child fit in a plastic bag … it shows something has gone wrong with society‚” said Zuma.

Courtney’s body was found nine days after her disappearance‚ after her killer had led the search party away from where she lay.