[LISTEN] Van Breda's call to emergency services: 'My family and I were attacked'

21 May 2018 5:36 PM

(This story has been updated since it was first published in 2016.)

Henri Van Breda has been found guilty of murder, attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice.

The convicted axe murderer has been handed down three life sentences.

He was on trial for the murder of his parents and older brother and maiming his younger sister in an attack at their Stellenbosch home in January 2015.

MUST READ: Henri van Breda found guilty of family axe murders

Judge Siraj Desai handed down judgment in the Western Cape High Court on Monday afternoon.

The convicted murderer made a call to emergency services after his mother, father and older brother were killed in the gruesome axe attack at their De Zalze estate.

During the call, early on 27 January 2015, he mentions an attack and describes the injuries his family members sustained.

My family and me were attacked… by a guy with an axe.

One of the operators struggle to make out the Stellenbosch address as he sounds incoherent on the line.

Hear the actual call Henri made and the break-down by the NPA (audio from 2016):

In 2016, the NPA revealed a timeline of Van Breda's calls as a part of the legal summary of facts:

26 January: Loud voices heard from the family's home in the evening.

27 January:

[04:24] - Accused makes unanswered call to his girlfriend.

[04:27] - Accused conducts Google search for emergency services contacts.

[07:12] - Accused makes a series of cellphone calls to emergency numbers.

[07:15] - Police arrived at the scene to discover the bodies.

[07:38] - Accused makes another call to girlfriend.

Van Breda will be detained in the hospital section of Pollsmoor prison, provided he can provide a medical certificate to independently verify his chronic epilepsy.

Sentencing proceedings will take place on 5 June.

Written by: Qama Qukula