15 Dec 2014

Molepolole senior magistrate, Mr William Modise, has dismissed bail application by five alleged armed robbers accused of robbing Spar Supermarket in Molepolole over P38 000 at gun point sometime this year.

In his ruling, Mr Modise dismissed the application on the basis that the accused persons were implicated in a number of robberies, therefore it will be risky to grant them bail when they failed to show remorse on the alleged robberies committed in the past.

He denied all the accused persons bail after an affidavit presented by the prosecutor on behalf of the Investigating Officer revealed that the accused persons are likely to abscond because each one of them has at least two pending robbery cases.

He further argued that the accused were a flight risk and that granting them bail will be a total risk as most of them continued to commit similar offences while on bail.

He said the suspect especially Moreri Motseothata of Ntsono ward in Molepolole was a perpetual perpetrator with pending cases ranging from Robbery to murder at Mahalapye, Mochudi, Molepolole and Mmaothate lands in Kweneng district, the offences he committed while on bail.

Motseothata had earlier appeared before magistrate Keneilwe Koobake on two counts of robbery and murder the offences he committed sometime in 2012.

It is alleged that, the suspect Motseothata robbed Lere Thakadu P7000.00 cash and his riffle worth P6000.00 and murdered him allegedly using the same gun at Mmaothate lands.

The five accused persons had wanted the court to grant them bail after requesting for the appearance of the Investigating Officer to lead the court on why they cannot be granted bail.

The ruling was deferred last week after the magistrate Modise requested for time to be able to familiarise himself with the affidavit produced by prosecution on behalf of the investigating officer.

Despite explanation by the prosecutor Inspector Uyapo Koketso to the effect that the investigating officer was one of the officers deployed to Thamaga to assist in the special operations, one of the accused Thato Soko felt his non-appearance was deliberately made to frustrate their efforts. 

The suspects are Kitso Modisantwa, Moreri Motseothata, Thato Soko, Kabelo Moremedi and Moshe Tlhowe aged between 24 and 32 of different locations in Gaborone and Molepolole.

The five accused on October 28 in Molepolole acting together in consent robbed Spar Supermarket cash over P38 000 at gun point. ENDS