Theunis Christian Olivier

Case record: Theunis Christian Olivier

STATUS and sentence

Theunis Christian Olivier was sentenced to life in prison on August 8, 2007, for the murder of six-year-old Steven Siebert.

Mr Justice Essa Moosa said the cold-blooded nature of the murder was an aggravating factor. Moosa stated: “What is aggravating in your evidence is that while you strangled the child you watched him die with no emotion.”

Moosa sentenced Olivier to 14 years for indecent assault and to 10 years for kidnapping. The sentences ran concurrently.

Olivier showed no emotion throughout sentencing. Steven Siebert’s parents, Thomas and Elaine Siebert, sat quietly as the judge spoke.

The offence

Steven Siebert was six years old when he was murdered.

The court heard that Olivier strangled the child. Moosa said the kidnapping was “the trigger” that set the crime in motion.

Moosa described the indecent assault as aggravating and said it was “particularly gruesome, as it involved inflicting bodily harm on an unsuspecting child of six years old.” Moosa said the nature of the indecent assault led the court to hand down a harsher sentence than the prescribed 10-year minimum.

Steven was found dead close to Olivier’s house in Plettenberg Bay in December 2005. Thomas and Elaine Siebert, who lived in Johannesburg, were on holiday in the resort at the time.

Trial

Olivier was found guilty in the Cape High Court on Tuesday of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering Steven.

The trial highlighted that there was no national list of paedophiles in South Africa and that Olivier had been allowed to work as an assistant in a boys’ school without anyone being aware of his perversion.

In mitigation before Justice Essa Moosa, Olivier testified about the days leading up to December 23, and gave an account of personalities and responsibility for the offence.

Names and “personalities”

Olivier told the court he had been diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder in 1978, and that since the age of six he had had eight alter egos.

Moosa asked whether Olivier could speak to “Theo.” Olivier replied: “No, I am in charge now.”

Olivier listed eight names as personalities: his birth name of Theunis Christian Olivier and seven others as his alter egos: Raymond Sinclair, Brian Shannon, Chris Oliver, Theo, Ruuss, Sharon and Tory.

Olivier said “Theo”, described as the most powerful personality, killed Steven.

State advocate Jan Theron asked Olivier if he saw himself as a danger to society. Olivier responded:

“Yes, I do see myself as a danger to society, but with treatment I won't be a danger to society. The day after the confession I requested the investigating officer to take me and shoot me. I felt terrible. All I wanted to do was die. If there was the option of the death sentence, and if treatment for me was denied, I'd say give me the death sentence.”

Confessions and police evidence

After his arrest, Olivier told police he had sexually molested more than 200 boys. His account stated his offending career lasted for 30 years.

The investigating officer in the Olivier case was Inspector John Nomdoe. Nomdoe said Olivier confessed to having sexually assaulted more than 200 young boys over the past 30 years.

Arrest and discovery of the victim

Evidence described that Steven Siebert was enticed away from outside his parents’ holiday home.

Hair belonging to Steven Siebert, 6, from Randburg, was found in a cupboard of the house in Plettenberg Bay where Olivier worked.

Helga Remane-Legacher from Parkwood, Johannesburg, described seeing Steven with an elderly man with a long beard dressed in “dark clothes” (brown jeans, a dark blue shirt and red cap) at a tree in the garden of 20 Stableford in Plettenberg Bay.

Steven’s parents, Thomas and Elaine Siebert, rented the house for the holidays.

Terry Cairns, owner of the house at 13 Cordovan Street where Olivier did tiling, testified that he informed police that Olivier might be a suspect because he had shaven his long beard on that day.

Sergeant Otto Olivier testified that captain Guy Clift, who coordinated the search, had asked him to fetch the suspect from 13 Cordovan Street. Otto Olivier testified that the suspect had a beard like that of “Father Christmas,” according to people who had seen the suspect with the boy.

Olivier searched the house and noticed the suspect’s bags were packed, a bundle of wet clothes was in the bath, and he had just shaven because there was still blood on his neck and face.

Olivier took the suspect to Stableford Drive. Witnesses who had seen him with the boy were “not 100% sure that it was him.” Olivier took the suspect back to 13 Cordovan Street and told him to stay there while he was still a suspect, and Clift said there was “not enough evidence to arrest him.”

Constable Justin Plaatjies, on patrol in a police vehicle, was on his way to Clift when he noticed the suspect in Grisnez Street about 10 minutes’ walk from Cordovan Street. Plaatjies testified that the suspect said he was “jogging,” but was walking and “was clearly not dressed for jogging.”

Plaatjies searched him and found about R6 000 in cash, money he had earlier received from his employer. The suspect was taken to the police station.

Nomdoe was called to help question the suspect. Nomdoe and a detective known only as sergeant Theunissen started questioning the suspect about 22:15 on that Friday afternoon.

Olivier was formally arrested about 05:00 on Saturday morning, the day before Christmas. The boy’s body was found in bushes in the yard of 13 Cordovan Street on Saturday morning.

Some of Steven’s blonde hair was found in the cupboard in one of the rooms inside the house, where the hair was attached to a splinter. The state pathologist was expected to testify on Wednesday.

Nomdoe stated that Olivier gave an oral testimony about 16:00 on Saturday. On Sunday, Olivier gave a formal admission of guilt before magistrate Les Strydom in the George magistrate’s court.

On Monday, the day after Christmas, the suspect, who had previously been known as Raymond Sinclair, for the first time revealed his true identity to the investigating officer as Theunis Christiaan Olivier.

After sentencing and further charges

Steven’s parents said they were encouraged by the support they had received from the community.

Elaine Siebert said she felt no sympathy for Olivier. She stated: “He made conscious choices as an adult. He is a victim of his own crime.”

Olivier still had to face five charges of indecently assaulting boys under the age of 14 in Ladysmith.

The police were also investigating his activities in towns and cities in which he had lived since he entered South Africa illegally from Zimbabwe in 2000.

Nomdoe said Olivier had served a 16-year jail term in Zimbabwe on seven counts of indecent assault and one of rape.

Quotations from Olivier during sentencing proceedings (personality and responsibility)

Olivier stated:

“I honestly and truly believe in my own heart and my own mind that I, in myself, did not commit the offence on the day of the 23rd of December 2005 … I firmly believe that Theo was responsible for the act and, at the time of the act being done, I, in myself, was powerless over him,” Olivier said.

Olivier apologised for the murder, stating:

“It wasn't supposed to happen … It was beyond my control and I am truly sorry for that. I regret that it ever happened and I know that, no matter how long I live, it will always haunt me.”

Olivier said:

“You cannot punish the one without punishing the other. “We are collective, together as one,” he said.

Olivier said he did not believe life imprisonment was an appropriate sentence and stated:

“There are times when a person must be punished, but there are times when a person needs help. I believe that these are one of those times.”

Olivier said:

“I should be given hope. If I were to be imprisoned for the rest of my life, there is no hope.”

He admitted he was a danger to society and that he would commit such a crime again if he did not receive treatment.

Olivier also said he did not intend to call Theo as a witness.

Other details

At one point, Olivier said he used the name Theunis Olivier only for legal purposes, and used the name Ray Sinclair because he said Sinclair’s personality had taken control of his body.

Olivier said included among the eight personalities were one of a woman, Sharon, and a boy, Tory. He stated there may be additional personalities but they had not been clearly identified.

A News24 report included a scene description of “Hair of the murdered Steven Siebert, 6, from Randburg” found in a cupboard of the Plettenberg Bay house where Olivier worked.

A separate report stated Olivier was 50-year-old and described him as a “self-confessed paedophile.” Another report described Olivier as 48 years old in a dock photograph while he waited to be sentenced at the High Court in Cape Town.