03 Aug 2022

Habitual offender, Oageng Letsholo has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, while one year was suspended for an offence of causing grievous bodily harm. 

Letsholo was on July 21, convicted for causing grievous bodily harm to one, Ms Kediemetse Sebobi on October 26, 2014 at Mmatseta.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Senior Magistrate Tshepo Thedi of Village Magistrate Court said Letsholo had committed the offence by hacking the victim with an axe and hitting her with a brick, an attack that left permanent scars on her head and one of her hands non-functional. 

Ms Thedi said any person who caused harm without extenuating circumstances was eligible for a jail term not less than seven years and not more than 14 years. 

Based on his previous convictions, Ms Thedi said, Letsholo was a hardened and heartless criminal. He said the offence was serious and attracted a lengthy sentence. 

She said what the convict had done was tantamount to Gender Based Violence (GBV), an offence that had prevalent calling for the court of laws to act accordingly by passing strenuous sentences. 

“The court is alive to the fact that GBV cases were rampant and the situation was a serious concern to the nation. Some victims of GBV have lost their lives, left with disabilities, painful memories and scars. Therefore, it is the duty of the courts of law to stand in support of the helpless victims of GBV,” she said.   

Ms Thedi said the attack on the victim, who at the time appeared to be harmless, was well planned and ruthless. She said the court also considered that the victim was 19 weeks pregnant at the time when she suffered the merciless attack. 

Magistrate Thedi said she did not understand why the convict resorted to violence on that day as the incident, which he claimed to have incited his anger was long resolved.  

Therefore, Ms Thedi was of the view that the attack was deliberate, well planned and executed to the convict’s liking. As such, Ms Thedi ruled that there were no extenuating circumstances that could have forced the convict to commit the offence. She added that the court must deliver a sentence that would show the public that conflicts were not to be resolved by violence. 

“The court does not condone such behaviour and therefore, victims of such crimes must be protected as well as take into consideration the general safety of the public,” said Ms Thedi. In passing sentence, Ms Thedi considered that Letsholo was not a first offender. She said his criminal career dated back to 1993 when he was a teenager, who never looked back but continued with his wrong doing.  Ms Thedi also noted that in a detailed record of criminal acts, causing grievous bodily harm was one of the offences that he had previously committed.

She said Letsholo’s actions were proof that he did not learn from his wrong doing. She said looking at the manner in which the offence was conducted and his mitigation, Letsholo was a candidate for a stiffer punishment. 

In his mitigation, Letsholo had pleaded with the court to consider that the matter had taken long to conclude and that he had already spent some months in jail pending finalisation of the case. 

He also pleaded with the court to backdate his sentence to the date when the matter was registered in court. Ms Thedi reminded Letsholo of his right to appeal within 14 days from the day of passing sentence.

Letsholo has a long-standing record of varied criminal acts. 

He was on May 15, 2014 convicted and handed a six months jail term for the offence of possession of an offensive weapon by the Letlhakane Customary Court which was suspended on the condition that he did not commit a similar offence in a period of one year.

On September 10, 2009, he was sentenced to 10 years for robbery and P250 or 12 months in prison for the offences of possession of ammunition arms of war and possession of ammunition respectively by the Lobatse Magistrate Court.

Letsholo was on October 14, 2002 sentenced to two years imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody by Letlhakane Magistrate Court. Still, on October 14, 2002, he was convicted and sentenced to two years jail terms by Letlhakane Magistrate Court for assaulting an on-duty police officer.On the other offence of escaping from lawful custody, Letsholo was on August 14, 2000 sentenced to six months in jail by the Mahalapye Magistrate Court. He was also sentenced to 42 months in prison for assault and causing grievous bodily harm by the Letlhakane Magistrate Court on April 07, 1995.  

Still in April 07, 1995, the Letlhakane Magistrate Court sentenced Letsholo to five years and three strokes for house break-in and 18 months for theft. 

In relation to another offence of escaping for lawful custody, the Letlhakane Magistrate Court has on February 11, 1995 sent Letsholo to prison for one year, a sentence which was to run concurrently with the other that he was already serving.  The Letlhakane Magistrate Court had on September 26, 1994, convicted Letsholo to three years of which one was suspended for an offence of motor vehicle theft. 

Letsholo who also appeared to be accustomed to escaping from lawful custody was on September 19, 1994, warned and cautioned to never commit the offence again. 

His criminal profile started on February 22, 1993, when he was convicted by Mopipi Customary Court for common theft where he was sentenced to receive three strokes and pay a fine of P80 or 4 months of incarceration. 

He has another pending case of murder before Broadhurst Magistrate Court where together with the trio of Leufty Kosie, Outlwile Aston and Kebaleboge Ntsebe are charged with the murder of Barulaganye Auston at Mogampane ward in Kopong on July 14.  ends