Dirk Prinsloo sentenced to 13 years in jail

SA fugitive Dirk Prinsloo has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment in the Baranowitsji district court in Belarus on charges of theft, assault and attempted bank robbery, Beeld newspaper reports.

Judge Wasili Petrif also ruled on Monday that Prinsloo should pay the legal costs of the case and an amount of money to the victims for "morale and material damage".

Prinsloo told reporters after the ruling was handed down: "This is f****** crazy."

He said his prosecution had been unfair.

"It is ridiculous. This entire court case was unfair and illustrates the approval of corruption and Stalinism. It breached just about every human right," he said.

He complained that he was not allowed to call any witnesses, that he was not allowed to prepare and present the case in his mother tongue and that he was not given a proper opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses.

But he added: "I expected that this judge would make an unfair ruling."

His last words before being led away by the police was: "I miss you [South Africa] a lot."

Prinsloo was accused of the theft of a R14, 700 diamond necklace from one of his several girlfriends and the abuse and "torture" of another girlfriend.

Prosecutors alleged that he slapped her in the face and "delivered blows" to her body. Prinsloo would then take pictures of her injuries with which he would taunt her.

Prinsloo is a fugitive from justice in South Africa. He jumped bail before a trial in which he and his girlfriend, Cezanne Visser, were accused of sexually abusing young girls.

He was captured by police in Belarus after an attempted bank robbery.

Visser is expected to be sentenced in February.