31-year-old Lesotho national, Refuoehape Ntakatsane, was convicted to 10 years in prison for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at Brixton Court on Monday, 13 January.
“The accused tried to rob a tuck shop selling food, at Crown wood Road and Planet Avenue, on the 11th of December 2018. He pretended to be a customer upon entering the shop and then pointed a gun at a 49-year-old male working at the shop”, explains Captain Xoli Mbele.
According to Mbele the suspect tried to shoot the victimbut the magazine of the firearm fell to the ground at that moment giving the victim an opportunity to act. One of the customers at the store who witnessed the whole ordeal came to his rescue and helped disarm the criminal. The police were then called afterwards and the suspect was kept in custody until his case was finalised.
“This good conviction is the result of the diligent work done by investigating Sergeant Nefuranyele of Johannesburg District Trio Detectives. We hope this sentence will send a strong message to the community that crime does not pay”, concluded Mbele.
