Man receives hefty sentence for 17 house breakings, rapes of ‘known’ victims
From 2016 to 2019, the perpetrator would break into the complainants’ houses, rob them of their belongings and rape females from those houses with his last victim being the oldest aged 80 years old.
A man has received five life sentences for his heinous crimes including rape, robbery, attempted murder and theft of a vehicle from 2016 to 2019.
Neo Clifford Mashilo (31) of Soshanguve was arrested on July 13, 2019, in Hammanskraal after a case of attempted murder was opened against him.
He was recently sentenced in the Pretoria high court to five life terms of 651 years of direct imprisonment for 45 charges.
NPA Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said between 2016 and 2019, Mashilo would break into houses, rob the occupants of their belongings and rape the women.
“During this period, he broke into 17 households late at night, around block P in Soshanguve.
“He sometimes raped his victims in the presence of their children, and the oldest of his victims was an 80-year-old woman.”
Mashilo was sentenced to:
– five life terms and 95 years for 10 counts of rape
– 260 years for 13 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances
– 255 years for 17 counts of housebreaking
– 10 years for attempted murder
– 10 years for attempted robbery
– 10 years for theft of a motor vehicle
– 10 years for possession of an unlicensed semi-automatic firearm
– a year for possession of ammunition.
“The judge also ordered that his name be added to the national register for sexual offenders.”
Mahanjana said Mashilo pleaded guilty to the charges against him and asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence because he had been in custody since his arrest.
“His legal representative told the court that Mashilo was a first-time offender and did not waste the court’s time by pleading not guilty.”
Mahanjana said however, in aggravation, the prosecutor Advocate Thembile Nyakama handed in eight victim impact statements, where the victims expressed how the incidents had emotionally, mentally and financially impacted them.
According to Mahanjana, Nyakama further told the court that Mashilo earned his living by committing offences and that even though he pleaded guilty, he did not show any remorse because he did not say sorry to the victims.
“She (Nyakama) told the court that there are no substantial and compelling circumstances and when sentencing Mashilo the court should send a clear message that there is no room for criminals in our society.”
“When handing down sentencing, the judge agreed with the state that Mashilo showed a lack of remorse and did not appreciate the gravity of his actions. More so, Mashilo was known to some of his victims, therefore betraying their trust. It was found that there were no compelling and substantial circumstances to deviate from the prescribed sentences.”
The director of public prosecution Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi welcomed the sentence in hopes that it would send a message that crimes against vulnerable groups in society will not be tolerated.
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