Killers of British couple in South Africa sentenced to life in prison

A South African court sentenced three men to life in prison for the kidnapping, robbery, and murder of a British couple in February 2018. Rachel Saunders, 64, and her husband Rodney, 73, were abducted while collecting indigenous plants and seeds in the Ngoye Forest, about 150 km north of Durban. Their bodies were found days later in a river. The convicted defendants were Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 46; his wife Fatima Patel, 35; and Malawian national Ahmad Mussa. They were convicted last month and, on Thursday, received two life terms each by the KwaZulu-Natal division of the Durban High Court. Police said the trio also stole items including bank cards used to buy goods near Durban. Shortly after the couple’s disappearance, their car was found with blood marks and 734,000 rand (about £42,000/$44,700) was reportedly drained from their bank accounts. Sentences for robbery and theft were also imposed, and the life terms run concurrently.