Moatlhodi�s son found guilty of a lesser charge

The accused, Boitshoko Moatlhodi, 34, was initially charged with killing five-year-old Kevin Utlwang on April 21, 2012 at Block 7 along Kazungula road. Moatlhodi, a civil engineer by profession, was additionally charged with failure to stop after the accident. Boitshoko’s parents, relatives and friends who attended the court session shed tears of joy after he was fined P600 for the offence which is payable by the end of December which in default, he shall serve six months in prison.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Principal Magistrate Sijabuliso Siziba said that he found  Moatlhodi guilty of having committed the offence of driving without due care and attention, which attracts a fine of between P500 and P2,000. “It shall be taken into account that he is a first offender. The policy of sentencing is to be lenient when sentencing first offenders as opposed to repeat offenders. I agree with the defence counsel that the duration of the time when the accused was first arraigned in court until now is a long time which has emotionally tortured him, a factor that I would also consider when passing an appropriate sentence,” said Siziba.