Lakeside residents have welcomed the life sentence handed down to the woman dubbed the Lakeside Butcher.
The sentencing of Sheree Prince in the Western Cape High Court, on Friday June 29, followed her conviction for the April 2015 murder of Sandra Malcolm, 74.
When Ms Malcolm offered Prince toast and tea in her Uxbridge Road home and attended to her injured foot after she caught the then 18-year-old breaking in, she could never have imagined that the young woman would stab her 24 times and later decapitate and dismember her.
Judge Bruce Langa described Prince as a “dangerous person who should not be unleashed on the unsuspecting public.”
He called the murder “hair-raising” and said although Prince was not a full-blown psychopath she displayed psychopathic traits and was likely to commit violent crimes again.
He said it was unlikely Prince – a tik addict – would successfully rehabilitate herself.
On top of the 25-year life term, she was given an extra six years for robbery. The sentences will run concurrently.
MuizenbergandLakeside Residents’Associationchairwoman, Catherine Dillon said she thought the sentence was appropriate.
Ms Dillon, who lives near to where Ms Malcolm was murdered, said the gruesome killing on an ordinary afternoon with no one suspecting anything was a chilling thought.
“Residents should be vigilant and aware what is happening in their neighbourhoods and should look out for one another. The role of a strong neighbourhood watch is key to secure happy living for all residents,” she said.
Glendyr du Preez, the admin on the Lakeside Community Watch Facebook group, said justice had prevailed.
“It’s an encouragement to the ordinary citizens out there who try to assist the authorities in keeping law and order to see that criminals get what they deserve,” she said.
Prince, who is from Citrusdal, was arrested shortly after the murder and made her first appearance in the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court on May 11, 2015. She pleaded guilty to the murder in April.
In her plea explanation in February this year, Prince said she had robbed a home in Portland, Mitchell’s Plain before making her way to Muizenberg where she had been offered a job as a cleaner at an antiques shop.
The court heard she had been drinking on the second night after arriving in Muizenberg and had accidentally kicked over a pot of stew and burnt her foot.
She arrived at Ms Malcolm’s house on April 18 and climbed through an open window.
Ms Malcolm woke up and threatened to call the police, but Prince showed her her foot and said she was looking for help.
According to Prince’s statement, Ms Malcolm helped her clean her foot with antiseptic and then made her tea and toast.
She offered to call an ambulance, and that is when Prince threatened to stab her.
Ms Malcolm tried to take the knife from her and Prince stabbed her.
In an attempt to hide the body, Prince decapitated and dismembered Ms Malcolm and stuffed her remains in a bin and another container.
Last month, clinical psychologist Dr Willem Hanekom testified Prince had said she had always known she would kill someone.
It also emerged that she faced charges of indecent sexual assault and attempted robbery at age 13.
Judge Langa said the Ms Malcolm was described as a kind and considerate person by her family and was always willing to help others, just as she demonstrated with her kindness to Prince shortly before she was murdered.
