Share

Convicted murderer Martin Visser granted leave to appeal

Lutzville farmer and convicted murderer Martin Visser was on Thursday granted leave to appeal his conviction and sentence in the Western Cape High Court sitting in Vredendal.

He was on Wednesday sentenced to life behind bars after he was found guilty of premeditated murder of farm worker Adam Pieterse, 33. He had been beaten with a spade, dragged with a quadbike and buried behind Visser's father's vineyard in 2015.

His sand-covered body was unearthed three weeks later, when a seasonal labourer saw Visser behind the vineyard of his father's farm twice and contacted the police when she took a closer look and noticed flies buzzing around the disturbed earth.

Read: Convicted Lutzville farmer attempts suicide ahead of sentence

The cause of death could not be confirmed due to the advanced state of decomposition of the corpse.

He was also sentenced to three years for the grievous assault on Kleintjie Moses, who he had stabbed with a broken bottle neck in 2011, and six months for the common assault on Pieterse a month before the murder.

Prosecutor Christhenus van der Vijver opposed the application, saying he found it difficult to see how the court could come to any other verdict.

Judge Nathan Erasmus said the question was whether another court looking at the matter differently could come to another conclusion.

Read more: Cheers in Vredendal court as farmer who murdered seasonal worker is handed life sentence

"I've imposed the harshest sentence a court can impose. Sentence is not an easy matter. But there are prospects that another court could come to a different conclusion."

He granted the application for leave to appeal before a full bench.

Erasmus said he didn't believe there were grounds to release him on bail ahead of his appeal.

Visser remains behind bars.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 180 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 262 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.8%
Rand - Pound
24.04
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.56
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
899.20
+0.3%
Palladium
999.25
-0.3%
Gold
2,209.51
+0.7%
Silver
24.55
-0.4%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,080
+0.6%
All Share
74,278
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,967
+2.4%
Industrial 25
103,572
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,456
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE