The four men involved in the kidnap and murder of Hannah Cornelius and the brutal attack on her friend Cheslin Marsh will be sentenced in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.

Proceedings to seal their fate are expected to begin at 14:00.

During pre-sentencing proceedings last week Prosecutor Lenro Badenhorst argued for life sentences to protect society from men such as them.

“The accused have no respect for human rights. They showed no mercy,” Badenhorst said during sentencing proceedings against Eben van Niekerk, Geraldo Parsons, Vernon Witbooi and Nashville Julius.

He submitted to Judge Rosheni Allie that Van Niekerk, Parsons and Witbooi be handed life sentences for the murder and rape of Cornelius, as well as for the attempted murder of Marsh due to the severity of the attack.

Badenhorst submitted that all four, except for Van Niekerk, should be sentenced to 15 years for the robbery. He said Van Niekerk should face 20 years as he was convicted for the same crime in 2013.

The four were convicted of accosting Cornelius and Marsh in her VW Citi Golf at the corner of Jan Celliers Road and Bird Street in Stellenbosch in the early hours of May 27, 2017.

Marsh was eventually left for dead in a field and Cornelius was raped and stabbed to death.