Magistrate postpones sentence to next week

Tebogo Kgalemang
Correspondent | Thursday November 18, 2010 00:00

It is alleged that Sergeant Otsisitswe Tsogwane was stabbed with a knife, while escorting Paul Chikatala to Nyangagwe Referral Hospital a few weeks back.

Chikatala and an ex-convict Maxwell Nduku, acting together with a common purpose, stabbed the warder in an attempt to aid Chikatala to escape lawful custody. Chikatala is charged with offence of escaping from lawful custody and unlawful wounding while Nduku is charged with aiding a prisoner to escape and unlawful wounding.

Chikatala has pleaded guilty to the charges while his co accused has pleaded not guilty.

The sentence was scheduled to be delivered yesterday but was postponed to November 24 because the first convict Chikatala was not present in court.

He was appearing for a robbery trial in Gaborone. The prosecution counsel Isaac Bojang had urged the court to postpone the matter until the accused person finish with his robbery trial.

'The purpose of today's mention was for sentence, and we humbly apply that the matter be called on the 24th because the accused has appeared for a robbery trial at Gaborone,' Bojang submitted.

During the time of the offence Chikatala was still remanded in custody for robbery.

Nduku, of Zimbabwe, was released from custody two months ago after he was acquitted for the offence of murder at the High Court.