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Three members of an ISIS-linked gang have been convicted of murdering British botanists Rod Saunders and Rachel Saunders before dumping their bodies in a crocodile-infested river in South Africa, bringing an end to a case that remained unresolved for more than eight High Court found Sayefundeen Del Vecchio, 44, his wife Bibi Patel, 34, and their lodger Mussa Jackson, 40, guilty of double murder, kidnapping, robbery and theft following a trial that heard evidence from around 60 witnesses over 160 court days. Daily Mail couple, aged 74 and 63 respectively, disappeared in February 2018 while searching for rare gladioli flowers in KwaZulu-Natal targeted during seed expeditionRod and Rachel Saunders were internationally known botanists and owners of the Cape Town-based seed company Silverhill Seeds. They regularly travelled across South Africa collecting rare plant species and lecturing on the country's court heard that the couple had travelled about 900 miles from Cape Town and had recently filmed with a BBC documentary team led by presenter Nick Bailey in the Drakensberg Mountains before continuing their expedition to Ngoye Forest National said Del Vecchio identified the couple as a target while they were camping in the remote forest. Phone records showed he contacted Patel and Jackson, describing the pair as a "good hunt" before later sending messages indicating the victims had been for banking detailsThe court heard that the couple were abducted and forced to hand over banking information before being -mortem examinations found Rachel Saunders suffered multiple machete wounds to the back of her head, repeated stab wounds and severe blunt-force injuries. Rod Saunders died from extensive head the killings, the victims were wrapped in sleeping bags and placed in their stolen Toyota Land dumped in riverThe three defendants then drove to the Tugela River Bridge, where the bodies were thrown into a crocodile-infested river in an apparent attempt to destroy the remains were eventually recovered, decomposition and animal predation had left them so badly damaged that investigators required DNA analysis and dental records to identify the spree led police to suspectsInvestigators traced the gang after they used Rachel Saunders' credit cards and bank accounts to fund a spending spree worth about R734,000 (£37,000).The trio purchased Bitcoin and transferred funds from the couple's accounts before being noticed by a suspicious shop employee, who alerted followed the financial trail to the suspects' home, where officers recovered the victims' phones, jewellery, laptops, camping equipment and a stolen vehicle. Blood found inside the Toyota Land Cruiser was later matched to the material found during raidAll three accused were already on a terrorist a raid on their property, members of the Hawks, South Africa's elite crime unit, discovered an ISIS flag along with extremist literature. Despite the alleged links to ISIS ideology, prosecutors did not bring terrorism-related messages shown in court were attributed to Del Vecchio and referred to the victims as "kuffar", while instructing that their bodies should never be Esther Steyn said cellphone data, DNA evidence, witness testimony and circumstantial evidence proved the involvement of all three defendants beyond a reasonable doubt."The pieces of the puzzle fitted together perfectly," the judge said, finding that the trio acted together in carrying out the has been scheduled for June 19. Under South African law, the three face the possibility of life the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.
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