Veli Morris Mashinini (34), parolee, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for stock theft of sheep and reckless driving in Ermelo.

The Ermelo Magistrate’s Court sentenced Mashinini on June 29.

According to Ms Monica Nyuswa, regional spokesman of Directors of Public Prosecution, Mashinini has a previous conviction of stock theft, he was however released on parole due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The court ordered the remainder of the sentence to be taken into consideration and was sentenced to a further eight years’ imprisonment.

It further ordered the sentences not to run concurrently with the previous conviction.

“He was sentenced to an effective eight years for stock theft and three months for reckless driving, the three months will run concurrent with the term of eight years,” Ms Nyuswa said.

According to her the police spotted a suspicious vehicle on the N2 and stopped it last year on October 16.

She said the driver sped away at a high speed, entered the location, and skipped two stop streets.

On a curve, the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed it.

“The police found the driver stuck in the vehicle with six sheep carcasses inside.

“Upon questioning him, he gave different explanations as to how the carcasses got into the vehicle,” she said.

Read more about the court proceedings that followed in the Highvelder newspaper.