DURBAN – On 5 March 2020, the Durban High Court finalised the matter of Laston Moodley (26) by giving him life imprisonment for murder and life imprisonment for rape.

The sentence came after the court heard how Moodley brutally killed and raped a little girl. The incident took place on 28 July 2018 at 16:50, where Amanda Mila (7) was playing with other kids in one of the flats in Verulam when she was called by a neighbour who sent her to a local shop. He lured the child to his house where he raped and stabbed the little girl. The child was left naked on the road with a stab wound on the left side of her chest.

The community gathered at the suspect’s house after following blood trails and police were immediately contacted. The door was forced opened by police and the accused was found inside. A search was conducted inside the house and the victim’s clothes were found hidden inside a bin. The victim died in hospital on the following day. The accused was tried in court and his bail application was denied. He was held in custody until his sentence.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula welcomed the sentence handed to the ruthless killer. “The investigating officer is commended for presenting a well prepared docket to court to make sure that the accused is sentenced appropriately,” he said.

Source: South African Police Service