An innocent man spent Christmas Day in police custody accused of murder after his girlfriend died suddenly at his home in Mabudzane (a village some 30km north of Francistown) the previous day.
Having spent five nights behind bars, Frank Patelane, 36, was set free by Francistown Magistrates Court on 29 December, the postmortem revealing that his lover, Faith Tsitsi Robert, died of natural causes.
The charges against Patelane were duly dropped with no liberty to reinstate.
Although it was not explained exactly what claimed Robert’s life, Investigating Officer, Kaunda Thebe confirmed there was no foul play involved.
Leaving court, Patelane displayed no emotion at the ruling, his thoughts far away.