Mossel Bay burglar discovers cool drinks are bad for your life of crime

11 August 2016 - 15:11 By TMG Digital

A combination of cutting edge technology from the SAPS forensic laboratory and the investigative prowess of the Hawks has resulted in a successful conviction for a serial burglar‚ the Hawks said. Matota Mechock Sithole‚ 42‚ has been jailed an effective 15 years imprisonment by the Mossel Bay Regional Court after he was found guilty of a series of business burglaries committed between 2013 and 2014 in the Southern Cape region.A well-known chain of stores suffered serious losses after a group of burglars forcefully gained entrance through the roofs and damaged alarm systems. They would grind safes open before making off with substantial amount of money and various valuables‚ Captain Lloyd Ramovha said."Sithole’s criminal spree came to an abrupt end when he inadvertently left crucial evidence at one of the crime scenes - he apparently helped himself to a bottle of cool drink‚ which subsequently linked him to the burglary via DNA testing upon his arrest in 2014."Sithole was successfully linked to three other business burglaries around the Da-Gamaskop‚ Hartenbos and Ladismith areas."Background checks also revealed that he was a career criminal in Gauteng‚ where he originates from."In addition to the jail term‚ he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm.National Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza welcomed the sentence and also hailed the forensic and investigation teams for the positive linkage that led to this conviction."It shows that when we optimally utilize what is at our disposal including forensics‚ criminals will have nowhere to hide‚" he said...

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