Two ‘elders’ go to prison for stealing alcohol
Two old boys convicted of breaking into a liqueur store to steal alcohol have been spared from the sting of the rod on their bare buttocks because of their ages.
Although Tshimologo Joseph, 45, and 40-year-old Nametsang Moganja’s bums were saved, their liberty received a harsh blow, sentenced to five and six years in prison respectively.
The duo allegedly broke into Liquorama A to Z in Maun in the early hours of Wednesday, 6 March, 2019 and made away with alcoholic beverages and other items worth P37, 551.
In her sentence Magistrate, Keneilwe Kgoadi noted that the two men were above the age of 40 years and were too old to be whipped.
“The two accused persons being adults of over 40 years cannot be subjected to corporal punishment and it is on this basis that I sentence them to five years and six years imprisonment respectively which will run concurrently with any sentence they might be serving,” ruled Kgoadi.
According to Kgoadi the offence of shop breaking attracts an imprisonment term not exceeding seven years with corporal punishment.
The store Manager, Ogaletse Rabasiako testified that she received a call from the general manager who told her he found the shop broken into.
She revealed that the ceiling was destroyed, alarm wires were tampered with and the safe was busted and immediately the incident was reported to the police leading to the arrest of the two men.
The court heard that on the day of the break-in, Joseph arrived at his friend Kenanao Galeo’s house in possession of a bag filled with assorted cigarettes, lighters, wines and whiskeys.
Later in the day he sold some of the bottles: 4 Chivas bottles, and a bottle of Hennesy for P1, 600.
In his defence, Tshimologo testified that he owned a tuckshop in Mahalapye which specialises in selling cigarettes and alcohol and at the time of the break-in he had closed down his tuckshop and hitchhiked to Maun with some of his stock to sell.
All the recovered items were returned to the Liquorama store.
