The son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pleaded guilty today to a role in a foiled mercenary plot in west Africa under a plea bargain to avoid prison.
The Cape High Court agreed to a deal for Mark Thatcher to pay a fine of 3 million rand ($500,000) or face five years in jail in South Africa, in addition to a further 4-year prison sentence suspended for five years.
Prosecutors said Thatcher was free to leave South Africa.
"There is no price too high for me to pay to be reunited with my family and I am sure all of you who are husbands and fathers would agree with that," Thatcher said on the steps of the court after the hearing.
A mocking banner strung from the third storey of an office block opposite the courthouse read "Save me mummy". It was not clear who placed it. On the steps outside the court one man chanted "Shame on you, shame on you".
Thatcher also agreed to assist South African investigations into the plot against the government of Equatorial Guinea, a tiny country flush with newly-found oil wealth.
Immaculately dressed in a dark suit and gold coloured tie, a nervous-looking Thatcher repeatedly said "Yes I do, Yes I do," when asked in court whether he agreed to the various terms of the deal, which allows him to leave South Africa to join his family in America for the first time in nearly five months.
After the court appearance, a more relaxed Thatcher was seen in the compound of his plush Cape Town home, barefoot and stripped down to a T-shirt and shorts.
Dozens of journalists kept vigil outside as Thatcher's personal security and other staff drove in and out, fuelling speculation their boss was preparing to leave.
His American-born wife Diane took their two children to the United States after his arrest, but returned to Cape Town to be with him. Margaret Thatcher visited her son at Christmas.