An ISIS-affiliated group responsible for the brutal murder of British couple Rod and Rachel Saunders, whose bloodied bodies were thrown into a crocodile-infested river, was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday at Durban High Court. The internationally acclaimed horticulturists, Rod, 74, and Rachel, 63, were ambushed and killed in South Africa just days after filming a special for BBC Gardeners' World.
Details of the Attack
TV host Nick Bailey had spent a day with the couple filming a documentary in the Drakensberg Mountains, bidding them farewell only for them to be savagely killed 48 hours later. The couple left to hunt for rare gladioli flowers in a secluded forest. Sayefundeen Del Vecchio, 44, his wife Bibi Fatima Patel, 34, and lodger Mussa Jackson, 40, were found guilty of double murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery last month. Del Vecchio, an ISIS-supporting fanatic, had previously informed his wife and lodger that the elderly couple were a "good hunt" and a "target" he was tracking on 9 February 2018.
Sentencing and Court Proceedings
Yesterday, gang leader Del Vecchio and his wife Patel declined to leave their cells to face sentencing, leaving only Jackson to stand in the dock. Judge Esther Steyn recounted how Rod and Rachel were bound and brutally tortured for their gold card credit card PIN number and bank details before being killed. A machete-like blade, a knife, and a heavy object were used to batter, slash, and stab the couple to death, who were then trussed up inside their sleeping bags.
Del Vecchio texted Patel and Jackson: "Kill the kuffar (non-believer). When the brothers go out and do this work it is very important that the bodies of the victims are never ever found." The trio met at the Tugela River Bridge in the Ngoye Forest National Park, where they removed the murdered couple from their blood-soaked 4x4 and tossed their bodies, encased in sleeping bags, into the crocodile-infested river below. Their bodies were discovered a week later but had been so severely mutilated by predators that three pathologists, including a dental expert, took months to identify them.
Arrest and Evidence
The trio were arrested on 15 February 2018 after friends reported the Saunders missing and police traced the use of their stolen credit cards. The gang had spent R734,000 (£37,000) in just two days on items, bitcoin, and bank transfers. Police searched their home, finding camping equipment, laptops, phones, and jewellery belonging to the Saunders, and later located their stolen 4x4. All three were charged with double murder, kidnapping, and aggravated burglary, receiving two double life sentences plus an additional 23 years.
Background of the Victims
The dedicated couple had been married for 30 years and lived in Cape Town. Each year they drove 1000 miles north to hunt for rare flower seeds in the wilderness. They met TV presenter Bailey to film in the Drakensberg Mountains, taking a selfie that Bailey later shared on Instagram, praising their "incredible insight and knowledge." Rod married South African-born Rachel, who held a British passport, in the 1980s when he was senior manager at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Dr Rachel worked as a leading university microbiologist. They quit their jobs to set up Silverhill Seeds, becoming leading experts on gladioli flowers. A book on gladioli they had just finished was published to critical acclaim after their deaths.
Judge Steyn said in finding guilt: "The state has relied on circumstantial evidence but the court is satisfied that the pieces of the puzzle presented fitted together perfectly. Bit by bit the evidence that has been put together formed into a mosaic and the court is satisfied all three acted together in killing the deceased and disposing of their bodies."
