A 40-year-old man who went by different names was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for house robbery by the Krugersdorp Regional court recently.
Krugersdorp Police spokesperson Captain Raymond Sebonyane said Lawrence Mntambo, who went by different names, one of which was Sphiwe Msibi from Emdeni South in Soweto, was sentenced in the Krugersdorp Regional Court on June 3.
He explained that a house robbery and attempted murder were committed on Integra Street, Breaunanda at about 05:40 on November 28, 2015.
“While the victim was asleep in his bedroom, he was awoken by a loud noise coming from the sitting room.”
When the victim investigated he noticed that two small surround-sound speakers and the TV had been moved from their usual place and were on the couch.
He also saw three unknown men behind the sliding door’s lace curtain. One of the men was armed with a firearm, but the other two were unarmed.
Sebonyane said that the victim ran back to his bedroom to get his firearm from his safe. The intruders fired several shots at him, and he returned fire.
“The intruders fled the scene in a white hatchback Toyota. No arrests or injuries were reported at that stage.”
The Local Criminal Record Centre was then summoned to the scene and fingerprints were lifted. The Krugersdorp detective investigated cases of an attempted murder and house robbery.
The investigating officer on the case was Sergeant Hosea Lelahane. He found that the fingerprints belonged to Lawrence Mntambo.
“He traced the suspect and found out that he was serving a 30-year sentence at Mangaung G4S Correctional Service for another case of robbery with aggravating circumstances.”
The court ordered that 20 years of the imprisonment imposed run concurrently with the suspect’s previous sentence, and he was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Krugersdorp Police’s station commander, Brigadier Mashao applauded his investigating officer for a job well done.
Sebonyane encouraged the public to report any suspicious activities to the police by contacting their nearest police station, or calling the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111. Information can also be communicated via the My Saps app or by SMS on 32211.
