Johannesburg — Notorious criminal Ananias Mathe was sentenced to 54 years in jail by the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

He will only be eligible for parole after he has served 43 years of his sentence. By then he will be 76-years-old.

Mathe was convicted of 64 charges of rape, indecent assault, attempted murder, aggravated robbery and housebreaking.

Whilst being detained in the A6 ward of C-Max prison which houses dangerous and hardened criminals, Mathe managed to escape by smearing himself with petroleum jelly and sliding out of his cell window, measuring only 20cm x 60cm.

Mathe had escaped from police custody before, previously in April 2005 - both incidents are believed to be insider jobs, with collusion from police officials.

His latest escape prompted a nationwide manhunt, the events of which were closely monitored by local media.

He was re-arrested on the 4 December 2006, when he hijacked a car in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Craighall.

Unknown to Mathe, the vehicle was fitted with a satellite tracking device, which led police and private security companies to Mathe after a chase which saw him being shot three times in the leg and buttocks.