The court heard that the young man was caught inside the buildings. Even Monametsi could not hide his surprise at the calm boy who pleaded guilty to the charge. He pleaded with the court to be lenient with him, promising he would never commit such a crime again and that he intended to go to school next year. He was sentenced to one-year imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years, during which time he "should not come closer or nearer State House". He also received four strokes on the bare buttocks.
It is still unclear how Letlotlo got into State House and how many security personnel were on duty during the long Easter weekend. When contacted, Press secretary to the President, Dr Jeff Ramsay, declined to comment on the issue and referred Mmegi to the police who had handled the matter.
Meanwhile, two men were flogged for trespassing at University of Botswana (UB) over the holidays. One is a student who had been barred from entering student hostels while the other is a non-student who lives in Tlokweng. In a separate incident two men who were caught with suspected stolen goods Joseph Thabo and Thabo Sesupo were flogged. The two men, from Old Naledi, were found pushing a wheel-burrow in which they were carrying a car battery. They claimed they had been looking for scrap metals when they stumbled on the hidden battery. "We were going to sell it for P10," said Sesupo. He had the court in stitches when he complained to Monametsi that he is never acquitted and discharged whenever he appears before him. The duo were jailed for a year wholly suspended for three years on condition they do not commit the same offence.
