A 21-year-old man accused of brutally murdering and mutilating a father of 17 has been sentenced to 22 years behind bars.

Jolvy Sembe Hindze, was recognised as the sole culprit of the violent killing of Ahmadou Yogno, a 44-year-old Cameroonian driver, almost a year and a half after the fatal attack on January 21, 2013.

His alleged accomplices, Boussengui Philippe Antoine and Emile Médard Ossembi Tonda mentioned earlier in the case, were not called to testify in the case held at the Lambaréné court last Tuesday.

The young Gabonese defendant is said to have offered his victim 500,000 CFA francs for a two-day drive, to prepare for a marriage ceremony. Amadou agreed and they set off for Ndjolé, a town in northern Gabon.

As they approached the last 15km stretch on the second day, Sembe ordered the driver to stop to allow him to relieve himself.

A group of attackers jumped out from behind a grove and grabbed the driver forcing him out of the vehicle. At this point a fight breaks out and as the deceased begins to take control of the situation a policeman, allegedly a member of the thugs, shoots Amadou’s shoulder to weaken him.

According to the confessions of the murderer he was then tied up and they proceeded to pull out his tongue, heart and kidneys. Part of his skull was broken and his brain was removed. The assassins then wrapped the remains of the body in plastic and threw it into a ravine.

Arguing Sembe's difficult childhood, he was only charged with murder and not organ harvesting or ritual murder, which the case first made headlines for, thus avoiding a life sentence.