A fuming Lesebe said, “We were three when the offence was committed and to my surprise, Dobela was left out and he is now acting as a witness. That’s not fair and to be frank, the case should not proceed.”
He told the court that it was Dobela who transported the stolen goods to a safe place in Block 3. He said the agreement was that they would then sell the loot and share the proceeds.
Although the presiding officer, Martin Chilume suggested to the duo to challenge police investigations after they have finished with their case, Lesebe stuck to his guns and reiterated his call for Dobela to be brought to court.
“I am sorry sir, but that man is our accomplice in this case and if he is left out, there is no way the case can continue,” argued Lesebe.
Bakae also said he was not going to allow the case to proceed unless their friend, who transported the goods while they were on duty, is charged. “The two left me at work to go and drop the goods and I don’t understand why I am on trial, while he is not, lamented Bakae
The prosecutor, Inspector Oaitse Thatayaone, however, dismissed the claims of the accused and pointed out that police investigations had not linked Dobela to the offence.
“These men are unreliable. Initially, they all denied having committed the offence and it was after investigations that we pinned them on the offence,” said the officer who added that adjourning the case and starting fresh investigations would waste the court’s time.
Lesebe intervened and said the exclusion of his friend was suspicious. He said like his colleague, nothing was found at his house but he was charged with the offence. “This case will never be fair until the other party is brought here, or this court would be infringing on our rights. We were arrested together and detained together but how come he is not with us before this court?” he asked.
Court president Chilume postponed the case to Monday and ordered the two to consult with the Station Commander in relation to their case. He told them to report to the police daily until the case is over, after dismissing the prosecution’s application to remand the two in custody. The stolen goods included bags of rice, mealie-meal and tubes of toothpaste.
