Bloemfontein - The Bloemfontein Regional Court has handed down lengthy sentences to three men found guilty on a range of charges, including attempted murder, house robbery, and housebreaking.
Free State police said in a statement on Friday that the trio was sentenced on Thursday in connection with a farm attack in the Edenburg area in 2015.
Freddy Mokhesi, 24, Oupa Dikila, 24, and Hendrik Dada Booysen, 23, broke into the house of the victim, Danie Theron, 51, who was not at the house during the incident.
Upon Theron’s return, he was hit over the head with a sharp object and overpowered inside his home. He managed to defend himself and fired shots at the suspects after which they fled the scene.
The trio was arrested on a neighbouring farm and some of the stolen items were recovered.
Mokhesi was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment, of which he has to serve 16 years. Dikila was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, of which he has to serve 12 years, while Booysen was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment of which he has to serve 10 years and 6 months.
The acting provincial commissioner of the police in the Free State, Major General Puleng Dimpane, thanked the investigation team for their dedication and hard work which brought the trio to book.
“We need to send a strong message to the people invading the privacy of our communities, no matter where you are living, that they will face the full force of the law.”