Mohamed Vahed Ebrahim was sentenced to 25 years for the kidnapping and premeditated murder of nine-year-old Miguel Louw, whose decomposed body was discovered in bushes in Phoenix in September 2018, about two months after he went missing.

Louw, who was a grade 4 pupil in Sydenham, was last seen in the company of Ebrahim, who was a friend of his mother and used to do odd jobs for the family.

In finding him guilty earlier this year, Durban high court judge Jacqueline Henriques said the evidence showed that Ebrahim had been spurned by Louw’s mother, Raylene, after which he had told her: “I will show you.”

Immediately after the sentence, his granny Arlene Omardeen, who was the only family member in court, uttered the words “Praise the Lord” — immediately followed by “Sorry, thank you Lord”.

Ebrahim was sentenced to eight years for kidnapping and 25 for murder, to run concurrently.

The judge deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of life because he was a first offender, there was no direct evidence of Miguel’s cause of death, circumstantial evidence, that Ebrahim had no history of violence and it was a crime of passion.

As he was led away, he was heard muttering, “No evidence”.

Louw was last seen in the company of Ebrahim at a chicken takeaway place after school. CCTV footage showed the pair walking away from the child’s house.

Cellphone evidence presented to the court proved that that afternoon Ebrahim was in the vicinity of Phoenix, near his own home and close to where Miguel’s body was found on September 2 by a policeman in pursuit of suspects.

While his body was badly decomposed, medical reports suggested that he had been suffocated and had died soon after disappearing.

In victim impact statements handed in to the court, his mom Raylene said on the day he disappeared she had kissed him goodbye and told him she loved him, as she always did when he headed off to school.

When his body was found, it was in the “most horrific, traumatised, despicable and brutal condition”.

“I honestly don’t wish for any parent to experience what we went through. The nightmares continue ... and the thoughts of how he must have cried for me and how scared he must have felt, makes me feel ill to my stomach.”

His sister Mikayla said: “I love Miguel with my whole heart. I will never be OK, but I will try to be.”

TimesLIVE