A 60-year-old firearm owner was convicted and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment or a fine of R6000 each for two counts of pointing a firearm.
The accused was further declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103, read with Schedule 4 of the Firearms Control Act, 60 of 2000.
The conviction stems from an incident on Monday, December 8 last year, when Ezakheni police received a complaint of a father who was troubling his sons.
Police responded and went out to Ezakheni A-Section, where they found the accused outside the yard of his son’s premises. While police officers were busy interviewing the son of the accused, who was the complainant, the accused told them not to interfere in his family business.
He demanded to speak to them separately and when the officers refused, the accused told them he was going to show them something they had never seen before. While saying so, he withdrew his firearm and pointed it at them.
The younger son instantaneously intervened by tackling the accused down to the ground.
The firearm was taken away from the father.
The accused was then placed under arrest and the firearm, with eight live rounds in the magazine, was seized as evidence.
A case docket was opened for further investigation.
“This conviction and sentence will send a clear message that interference with police in the performance of their duties and actually pointing a loaded firearm at them will not be tolerated. Furthermore, if firearm owners fail to act responsibly with regard to their firearms, then they will have to face the consequences of their actions in a court of law,” said Colonel Dladla (Ezakheni SAPS Station Commander).
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