Serowe Choppies robbers plead before judges

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Friday July 9, 2010 00:00

Boago Monyadiwa and Sebina Kenosi were sentenced to 12 years for the robbery, while the other two, Mothusi Ramadibana and  Maikano Mmolawa got 10 years each.  The four were also sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for malicious damage to property and the sentences are to run concurrently.

They were found guilty of robbing Choppies Supermarket in Serowe three years ago in which P72,000 was stolen. Monyadiwa denied involvement in the robbery saying he was not at the scene at the time of the crime. He professed ignorance about the vehicle that was used in the robbery although he admitted that he had been using the vehicle for a long time before the robbery was committed.

The judges reminded him that the owner had testified that he was the one using the vehicle on the day of the robbery, but he disputed that without stating who had been in possession of the vehicle on the day of the robbery. He also complained that they were not afforded a fair trial further alleging that the magistrate altered the case record so that they would be convicted.

Ramadibana told the judges that the trial was not fair as he had not been asked to plead. However, when pressed on how he would have pled he said 'not guilty' to which the judges responded that it was what the magistrate had written in the case record.

He then turned his appeal to mitigation when he told the court that he needed to be released because since his imprisonment he has suffered from cancer and other ailments that could end his life even before he completes the 10-year sentence. The other two, Kenosi and Mmolawa appealed to the court to include the number of years they have already spent in jail before conviction and the judges agreed.  Judgement will be presented on July 29th.