Tampering with essential infrastructure puts 'axe man' behind bars for 12 years
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Tampering with essential infrastructure in the Northern Cape has earned a 39-year-old man a prison sentence of more than a decade.
Philemon Hermanus was on Wednesday sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in the Port Nolloth regional court for tampering with a Telkom line.
His arrest followed a complaint to police by a resident in Nollothville, Port Nolloth, about a disturbing noise near a Telkom line in May 2022.
“Members attached to [the] visible policing [unit] attended to the complaint. The members found a stepladder and an axe near a Telkom pole and saw a person running away,” said police spokesperson Sgt Molefi Shemane.
“They gave chase and apprehended a male suspect.
“The suspect was originally arrested and detained for theft of copper cables. However, Const Rogerio Esau secured an additional charge of tampering with essential infrastructure.”
Northern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Koliswa Otola lauded Esau for his meticulous investigation that led to the harsh sentence.
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