Harsh sentence for business robber
He was sentenced to 12 years direct imprisonment.
FOLLOWING the sentencing of 25-year-old Preston Shaun Marais, who will spend the next 12 years in Westville Correctional Services, Wentworth SAPS station commander, Colonel Sinayo Mtshali, said this will be a strong message to others who prey on vulnerable people.
According to the communications officer of the Wentworth SAPS, Captain Mbuso Gumede, the victim, aged 23, was inside the company premises in Phillip Frame Street in Jacobs when four men entered the premises.
One of the suspects produced a firearm, and the others demanded money and cell phones from the victim and other employees at gunpoint. An amount of R1 600 in cash and a cell phone were taken from the employees in November 2021. While three of the suspects had their faces covered with masks, Marais did not, and the victim complainant knew him well and could point him out. After the commission of the crime, the suspects jumped into a grey Peugeot vehicle and left the crime scene,” said Gumede.
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On Monday, November 15, 2021, the complainant was at Wentworth SAPS when she noticed Marais, who was known to her, inside the station premises. She called a police officer and notified him that he was one of the men who had robbed her at her company premises.
Marais was subsequently arrested and detained for business robbery.
While Marais was granted bail, his trial continued until he was found guilty and convicted in June 2022. He was sentenced to 12 years of direct imprisonment.
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Mtshali said the conviction will deter criminals and praised the detective team who ensured the conviction.
“This will be a strong message to others who think of committing any crime and to those who prey on vulnerable people. They will face the full might of the law and be punished for their wrongdoing. We don’t need such people in our society,” added Mtshali.
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