Robbery Suspect Claims Police Torture

Lindiwe Mozola | Monday June 19, 2017 16:41

 

Leungo Kebabonye, 28 disclosed before Palapye magistrate, Gofaone Mosweu  during cross-examination that the Investigating officer (IO), Mmoloki Ngande tortured him and his alleged accomplice while in detention.

Kebabonye said Ngande tortured them in order to force a confession out of them for the charges against him and his co- accused.

Kebabonye and his co-accused, Palalani Kegakilwe are alleged to have on July 18, 2014 broken into the Home Economics (HE) laboratory at Mabogo Junior Secondary School and stole property worth P23,000.

Ngande had earlier told the court that the duo had confessed to one of the Mabogo JSS teachers that they were the ones who broke into the school and stole the school property from the HE lab.

He said that on the date, they received a report of school breaking and the tip-off led them to Palalani Kegakilwe. “On the 23rd of July, 2014 we raided Kegakilwe’s house where we found some of the alleged stolen properties, which led to his arrest.

When questioned further, he confirmed to us that he committed the offence with his co –accused (Kebabonye).

 “We then took them to the crime scene where the duo, according to one Mabogo JSS teacher, indeed confessed to her that they were the ones who broke into the school premises and stole some of the properties at the lab.”

Ngande said the duo later led them to two other places in Serorome ward where at the first place they met one Meshack Moyo who told them that the duo came to his house with one of his acquaintances, Ishmael Moyo, who told him that the accused were selling three hand-sewing machines. The IO said that Meshack Moyo further told him that he then bought the machines at P300 each and gave the money to the first accused. “We then took the sewing machines, which we suspected were stolen from the school, as they met the teacher’s description.

Moreover, the accused did not dispute the allegations at the time of questioning. We then continued to another house in Serorome where we recovered a Samsung microwave,” he testified.

But Kebabonye cornered the IO under cross-examination, when he put it to the police officer that he tortured them in order to force them to admit to the allegations.

He said they could not endure the pain any more, hence they had no other choice but to agree to everything. He subsequently asked: “Will I be lying if I put it to this court that you, Ngande tortured us to force confession from us with the allegations that are not true?  Furthermore, you tortured us at the police cells so that we admit to the school that we are the ones who stole their property. I still maintain that I know nothing about the allegations”.

The IO however, strenously denied that he tortured the accused. pointing out that as the police they never torture suspects.