A Free State police Sergeant has been handed a suspended sentence after he was found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on a nine-year-old boy.
Thabisile Dhlamini, 45, an officer at Reitz police station, was sentenced on Wednesday by the Bethlehem Regional Court.
Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, said on June 27, 2024, Dhlamini called the victim to his house and assaulted him with a sjambok until he suffered injuries.
“His mother was in Mpumalanga at the time of the incident. She came back and found her son with injuries and took him to Phekolong hospital in Bethlehem.
“Sergeant Dhlamini approached the mother of the complainant and asked her not to open a case and offered to pay the child's medical bill,” said Shuping.
Shuping said the boy was later taken to Nketoane hospital for further treatment. When social workers saw the severity of his injuries, they reported the matter to the police.
“The case was handed over to IPID for investigation and the docket, after the finalisation of the investigation, was handed to the prosecutors, who decided that the police officer must be charged for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,” said Shuping.
Sergeant Dhlamini pleaded guilty and was handed a sentence of two years, wholly suspended for a period of five years on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar offence during the period of suspension.