18 May 2016

Molepolole Principal Magistrate William Modise has sentenced two men charged with stealing stock to five and seven years prison terms respectively.

When sentencing the two men, Magistrate Modise said he took into consideration the two men’s mitigation and the fact that the other one was a first offender while another had a previous conviction.

He however, said the two were young men who should be actively involved in utilising government programmes intended to sustain their lives, but instead chose to commit crime. He also said livestock was like treasure to owners such that if they were deprived of it they were left with nothing to sustain themselves. 

He sentenced the first accused Sepane Letlhogela of Mogonono lands who is a first offender to a prison term of five years while his co-accused Keolebogile Santhuma of Malwelwe village who has a previous conviction on a similar offence was sentenced to seven years in prison, which will run concurrently with the current prison term he is serving.

In their mitigation, the two pleaded with the court to be lenient when sentencing them as they were still young and so wish to utilise some of the government’s development  programmes. 

They also requested the court to backdate their sentences to the time of their remand.According to the charge sheet, the two accused on or about the December 6,  2014 at or near Mosokwane lands in the Kweneng District fraudulently and without claim of right stole two cows belonging to one Kabelo Selema valued at P4 000 each.

Earlier when briefing the court, the state prosecutor Inspector Uyapo Koketso of Molepolole Police Station told the court that the issue of compensation as was requested by the complainant did not materialise, which the court in the last mention said it was going to be considered when sentencing the accused if ever it materialised. ENDS