The Western Cape Police Management has hailed the conviction and sentencing of 27 year old Adrian Leonard to four life sentences as a major boost to the moral of police in the province.
The four life sentences handed down to the accused in the Western Cape High Court on 2 May 2019, is an indication of the high priority we place on our investigations into priority crimes such as murders.
On 17 September 2018, the four deceased were in the Atlantis area when they were approached by Adrian Leonard and an unknown person.
The suspect opened fire on them and as a result of the shooting a female aged 27 years and three males aged, 42, 24 and 21 died on scene. The investigation was allocated to members of the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Office just after occurrence.
The investigation team thereafter embarked on an intensive investigation. A tracing operation in collaborating with Provincial Organised Crime office and SAPS Atlantis ensured the successful tracing and arrest of the accused a few weeks later.
According to the post-mortem report all victims died due to gunshot wounds.
Adrian Leonard is believed to be a member of a gang and the victims belonged to another rival gang.
Adrian Leonard was formally charged and found guilty in the Western Cape High Court after completion of the trial. He was sentenced today in the Western Cape High Court by the Honourable court on the following counts and sentenced to:
1 Murder – Life sentence
2 Murder – Life sentence
3 Murder – Life sentence
4 Murder – Life sentences
5 Possession of Unlicensed Firearm – 5 years
6 Possession of Unlicensed Ammunition – 5 years
The Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen KE Jula welcomed the outcome of the case and he commended the investigation team for their commitment in tracing and apprehending a dangerous criminal and to remove him from the community.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
