The Francistown High Court Judge, Lakhvinder Singh Walia, sentenced her to one-month imprisonment backdated to November 2002. Technically, this freed her from the torture of making appearances in court to answer for the murder that she committed whilst she was a student at the Tonota College of Education (TCE). The sentence also ends uncertainty that hovered over her head for the past four years. In particular, Ramaloko was tortured by the reality of losing her job if she was to serve a long custodial sentence. After reading a 26-page judgement, Walia came to the conclusion that Ramaloko was guilty as charged. It was this pronouncement that possibly temporarily shattered her hope of being completely free.

When the court adjourned for 45 minutes before Walia brought down the sentence, Ramoloko, her parents and close relatives that were present in court were all completely shattered, perhaps worried about the future of the accused as a civil servant. They all left the courtroom heads down. But, it was evident that they had trust in the attorney Lyndon Mothusi, who remained quiet for the better part of the break. It was Ramoloko that went to Mothusi, followed by her father and finally, her father's younger brother in turns.

It was only when Ramoloko took to the dock for the last time and faced Walia with a worried face and shaking hands, that her fate was finally sealed. "You have been convicted of murder with extenuating circumstances," pronounced Walia, sending the accused and relatives into another bout of shivers. The heavily built Ramoloko remained quiet with her eyes permanently glued at Walia, a posture that reflected that she was unsettled. Her fiance sat near the dock, had his eyes permanently glued to his woman.

"I have taken into consideration the fact that you are a first offender and that if convicted and given a custodial sentence you run the risk of losing your job and that your three dependants will suffer whilst you are away," asserted Walia.

"I sentence you to one month imprisonment backdated to November 2002 and you will not go to prison." Before she actually set her free, Walia asked the accused to take advise from her and to start behaving responsibly.

When she realised that now she was a free person, Ramoloko excitedly jumped and hugged her mother before hugging and kissing her fiancŽ who is set to marry her next April. It was at this point that relatives and friends crowded around the accused and joined her in celebrating her freedom. It was a happy ending for Ramoloko who has lived with the torture of having to explain to her colleagues, friends and students as to what happened to her case.

The state case shows that in November 2002, the Ramoloko murdered her newly born baby boy at the hostels of TCE. She reportedly gave birth alone in a room belonging to one of her friends and immediately after giving birth, reportedly strangled the infant and stuffed the dead body in a plastic bag and hid it under the bed in the room.

In her evidence, the accused had told the court that in 2002, she was a student teacher at TCE and she fell pregnant around April by one Thusi. It was an unplanned pregnancy.

She indicated that in the early hours around November 2002, she had abdominal pains, felt dizzy and lay down. She claimed that when she tried to get up, her waters broke and she put her hand between her legs and felt a baby's face. "It was whilst I was trying to pull the baby out that it fell on the floor and died," she said. She denied that she had the intention to procure an abortion.

The state's submissions were that the medical evidence established beyond any doubt that the baby was born by normal delivery and was killed by manual strangulation. The state also placed heavy reliance on the conduct of the accused during pregnancy, particularly her concealing the pregnancy and contemplating abortion. The state further argued that Ramoloko's conduct during the labour process and following the birth also points to premeditation.

A government pathologist, Varaprasad Patnaik, had told the court that in his opinion, the injuries on the newly born baby were inflicted after it had been born alive. The abrasions he had noted suggested pressure having been applied to the neck with hands. He further indicated that reflexion of the neck showed blood clots formed by finger pads suggesting strangulation.