Murder – Murder / Manslaughter Offences – SA
The Maximum Penalty – Murder
According to SA Law for the charge of Murder,
Murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
It also amounts to murder where a person commits an intentional act of violence while acting in the course of or furtherance of a major indictable offence punishable by imprisonment for 10 years or more (other than abortion) and thereby causes the death of another.
What the Police must prove according to SA Law for Murder
For murder, the court has to establish:
- That the victim has actually died
- That the defendant’s act has contributed significantly towards the death — it does not have to be the sole cause, or even the main cause of death
- that the defendant intended to kill the victim; or that the defendant intended to inflict Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH); or that the defendant knew or knew that it was probable his or her act would cause death or GBH