THE Western Cape High Court has sentenced a member of the notorious Fancy Boys gang from Manenberg to two life terms for murder.
Dennis Sauls was convicted for the murders of fellow gang members Enrico Bailey, 15 and Fernando Adams, 16.
The trio all belonged to the same gang.
Sauls killed Bailey and Adams because they were witnesses to a murder and it was feared they would speak out.
He pleaded guilty to the murders.
Sauls was also convicted for the possession of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition.
“He was sentenced to life imprisonment for each murder, 10 years imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and five years’ imprisonment for illegal possession of ammunition.
“The court ordered the 10 years and five years imprisonment sentences to run concurrently with the first life imprisonment,” provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Eric Ntabazalila said.
Sauls told the court he received instructions from the gang to ensure the death of the deceased.
He told the court he and a fellow gang member, only known as ‘Za’ were provided with a firearm and decided to carry out the hit on May 11, 2020.
The court heard the pair arrived at an address in Hanover Park at about 7pm and left with Bailey and Adams an hour later.
While driving back to Manenberg, Sauls pretended the vehicle stalled and asked the pair, who were seated in the back of the bakkie, to push the vehicle.
While pushing the vehicle ‘Za’ who was armed with the firearm was supposed to get out of the vehicle and shoot the pair.
However, his first attempt failed, but his second attempt proved successful.
After shooting Bailey and Adams, Sauls and ‘Za’ proceeded to head back to Manenberg.
In his confession, Sauls said that while ‘Za’ had carried out the murders, he did so on Sauls’s instruction.
Sauls was arrested on May 12, 2020, and confessed to the murders on May 14, 2020.
It was also brought to the court’s attention that Saul has a previous murder conviction. He was sentenced on June 4, 2009, and was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment of which two years were suspended for five years on condition that he not be convicted of murder, attempted murder or assault to commit grievous bodily harm during the suspension period.
He was still on parole when the double murder was committed.
The NPA welcomed the sentence.