Taxi driver's sentence reduced
2013-03-22 14:39
Johannesburg - The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has
reduced the 20-year sentence imposed on a Western Cape taxi driver convicted of
10 counts of murder after his vehicle collided with a train.
On Friday, the SCA reduced Jacob Humphreys's sentence to
eight years' imprisonment.
It set aside the murder counts, replacing them with 10
counts of culpable homicide.
It also set aside four counts of attempted murder.
"The sentences imposed by the trial court are set
aside and replaced with the following: Eight years imprisonment which is dated
to 28 February 2012," the SCA, in Bloemfontein, said in papers.
Humphreys overtook a queue of cars waiting at the
Buttskop level-crossing, Cape Town, on 25 August 2010, and tried to cross the
railway line, even though the safety booms were down.
Ten children died and four were seriously injured when
the train hit his minibus.
- SAPA
