A former Cape Town policeman has been sentenced to community service in the form of cleaning and maintenance at a police station for taking a bribe.
Victor Loxton, 39, who was based at the Table View police station, was also fined R2 000, payable immediately, or 12 months' jail, and five years imprisonment conditionally suspended for five years.
In addition to the fine and suspended prison sentence, he was sentenced to three years house arrest, and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Loxton's trial, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, took the form of plea-bargain proceedings.
Prosecutor Nontobeko Magopeni told the court Loxton had undertaken, for a R2 000 bribe, to use his influence as a police official to secure the release from prison of his friend Marshenino van Witt.
Loxton boasted to Van Witt's father that he had friends in high places, one of whom was a senior prosecutor at the Parow Regional Court in Cape Town. Loxton said the money would be given to the senior prosecutor.
Van Witt's uncle paid the money, but later demanded it back because no progress had been made with Van Witt's release.
Loxton said the money had already been paid to the senior prosecutor, and could thus not be refunded.
According to the plea-bargain document, the uncle approached the senior prosecutor, who denied receiving any money and initiated a corruption investigation against Loxton.
It transpired that Loxton had in fact approached the senior prosecutor about Van Witt's release, and that the matter was placed on the roll for a court ruling, in the normal manner.
According to the document Loxton kept the money for himself, which constituted a corrupt gratification.
Loxton pleaded guilty to two counts of corruption – one relating to his request to Van Witt's father for the R2 000, and the other to the R2 000 he received from Van Witt's uncle.