Man sentenced for robbery
Before sentencing the magistrate stated that his record showed that he could not be rehabilitated as he had appeared in court almost once a year for similar offences.
LYDENBURG – It was judgement day for a handbag snatcher on Tuesday April 5.
Victor Mnisi was arrested after being wanted by the police him for various criminal offences, including stealing a handbag with valuables worth a few thousand rand, theft and house robbery.
During the court proceedings it came to the fore that Mnisi was not a first-time offender. His offences went as far back as the ’90s and he had been in and out of jail over the years.
Before sentencing the magistrate stated that his record showed that he could not be rehabilitated as he had appeared in court almost once a year for similar offences.
In his statement, Mnisi pleaded guilty to stealing the handbag and said he regretted his actions. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. This will run concurrently with a six years sentence for house robbery.
The owner of the handbag, Ms Rochelle Strauss said she was not happy with the sentence.
“The man has a criminal record and is currently serving another sentence. I expected a more harsh one, but would like to thank Thami Mabuza, the man who identified the suspect and the detective who investigated the case. If it was not for Mabuza we wouldn’t have known who the culprit was,” she said.
