Woman gets two years for dagga

Olefile Serokolo | Tuesday June 20, 2017 16:39

 

However, Ngebani suspended 12 months of the sentence on condition that she does not commit a similar offence over a three-year a period. He said therefore Oneilwe will serve one year in prison.

He said he considered that she was a mother of five minor children and that she was taking care of her mother.

Ngebani said on the other hand it was important for the court to take into account the nature of the crime committed as drugs are on the increase and contribute negatively to the future development of the youth. He said an appropriate measure has to be taken to curb the use of drugs.

He further said the matter places the accused at a disadvantage, as she is not a first offender, which gives an indication that she has not reformed and did not learn anything from the previous sentence.

“She was once convicted for a similar offence on December 30, 2014 and was sentenced to a non-custodial sentence and a fined of P1,500.”

He said a a custodial sentence was appropriate for the offender.

He advised the accused to appeal to the High Court in 14 days if she was not satisfied with her sentence. Magistrate Ngebani ordered Oneilwe’s sentence to be backdated to May 29, 2017 the day she was convicted.