A Cape Town child killer has been sentenced to an effective 25 years behind bars.

James Jacobs was convicted in the Cape High Court for shooting dead four-year-old Joshua Luthando Barbers as well as attempting to murder four others including an 11-month-old baby. The attack took place on March 4th 2019 as the Pook se Bos community in Athlone no longer wanted him in the area.

The National Prosecuting Authority says Jacobs was sentenced to a total of 98 years but the court ordered that his sentences run concurrently.

During the case the prosecutor, Advocate Bonginkosi Maki pointed that the murder of children in the Western Cape is very serious. He explained that Jacobs had turned a safe space for the deceased, which was his home, into a death trap when he opened fire on the property. Maki says Jacobs emotionally traumatised the child’s parents as he was shot in front of them.