A brazen criminal was jailed for 38 years this week thanks to the meticulous work of a crack detective from Brooklyn.
Mahlatse Nchabeleng was sentenced by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, said Brooklyn police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
He robbed students in a commune in Newlands in 2012, using an unlicensed firearm.
About two years later, Nchabeleng and accomplice made a daring escape from court before appearing on robbery charges.
“They emerged from the holding cells and opened fire at the police,” she said.
A court orderly and a police officer were shot and wounded. The two escapees fled in a hijacked car.
On Thursday, Brooklyn police station commander Brigadier Kushie Nair applauded the team of investigators for securing the maximum sentence for Nchabeleng.
Nair particularly congratulated investigating officer Constable Jo Tjiane.
Weilbach said Tjiane had a proven track record as a meticulous investigating officer.
He was the recipient of prestige awards for the best arrest rate in 2014, and best detective in the Sunnyside cluster last year.
Brooklyn CPF chairperson Paul Fouche said convictions such as this improved trust in the police and justice system
