Heavy penalties for North West house robbery suspects

North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, has commended Sergeant Octaviane Abrahams from the Ikageng detectives for his meticulous investigative work that resulted in the conviction and sentencing of three dangerous suspects.

The Potchefstroom Magistrates’ Court last week handed hefty prison sentences to Donald Madou Baloyi (30), Collen Raditekele Lentsoane (28) and Joseph Makhale Marutla (44) for the harrowing robbery in 2014.

Provincial spokesperson, Colonel Adéle Myburgh, said the trio was found guilty of robbery with aggravated circumstances, housebreaking and theft reported in the early hours of 30 December 2014.

She said: “A family, consisting of parents and their two daughters were sleeping in their house in Ikageng when they were woken up by suspects, who threatened them with firearms. The 54-year-old father, his wife and two daughters were taken to the bathroom and tied up, whilst the suspects ransacked their house. After taking four cellular phones, a laptop, jewellery and a firearm, the robbers fled the scene”.

With the assistance of information gathered by Crime Intelligence, the trio were arrested three months after the incident. Baloyi was handed a 15 year imprisonment while Lentsoane and Marutla would each serve 20 years.

The Provincial Commissioner thanked all role players involved for working tirelessly to secure the sentences.