COSTA Magaye, one of the six accused in the robbery and violent assault on Norma Mocke on January 27, was sentenced in the Scottburgh Regional Court on Friday after he pleaded guilty to charges of housebreaking with the intent to rob, aggravated robbery and attempted murder. Mrs Mocke fled from the robbers and was shot through the shoulder. Magaye, an illegal immigrant from Maputo, Mozambique addressed the court during his sentencing and showed remorse for his actions, apologising to the victim and her family.
Magistrate Mfayela said that these were serious and prolific offences, however mitigating circumstances, including Magaye’s health issues, could have affected the sentence. The magistrate handed down a seven year sentence for each of the three charges, to be served concurrently. This sparked outrage amongst the Scottburgh community, who felt that the seriousness of the crime and the sentence did not match up.
The six accused were caught within days of the incident when Magma Security gathered information and teamed up with the Scottburgh Cluster Detective Task Team to apprehend the men. A charged up community arrived at the court with placards for the first appearances of the men as well as the bail application, where the six accused were denied bail. Four of the accused are foreign nationals illegally in the country, while the other two are from the south coast. The remaining five accused will appear in court on Wednesday, November 13, when a new trial date will be set.
