The Pietermaritzburg High Court jailed three men for holding up pub patrons with weapons stolen from a police station.
|||Pietermaritzburg - The Pietermaritzburg High Court jailed three men on Thursday for holding up pub patrons with weapons stolen from a police station.
The accused invaded pubs, made patrons lie down and robbed them by threatening them with weapons they stole from the Swartberg police station late one night in November 2009.
Between January 1, 2009 and February 2, 2010 accused John Stephan Green-Thompson, 48, took part in four robberies. He was sentenced to 15 years' jail for each of them. The sentences are to run concurrently.
He was also sentenced to five years for unlawful possession of firearms, making a total of 20 years.
Deputy Judge President Achmat Jappie said it was an aggravating factor that accused Sibusiso David Mazeka, 38, had been a police constable. He was sentenced to 25 years. Jappie said his knowledge of the Swartberg police station helped facilitate the robbery.
Mdududzi Philemon Dlamini, 33, was sentenced to 15 years for one robbery.
Jappie rejected defence arguments that there were substantial and compelling circumstances which freed him from imposing prescribed sentences for the armed robberies.
He said the robberies were well planned and the mitigating factors had to be weighed against the seriousness of the crimes and their effect on the victims. - Sapa