Western Cape lawyer spared prison garb after pleading guilty to theft

05 December 2020 - 10:22 By philani nombembe
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Western Cape lawyer Terrence Mouton was convicted in the George magistrate's court on December 3 2020 for stealing R275,000.
Western Cape lawyer Terrence Mouton was convicted in the George magistrate's court on December 3 2020 for stealing R275,000.
Image: 123RF/rclassenlayouts

Western Cape lawyer Terrence Mouton will split his time between legal work and community service for the next five years after being convicted of theft this week.

The George magistrate's court sentenced the 40-year-old lawyer on Thursday. Mouton, who was arrested in October, misappropriated R275,000 from his law firm’s trust account.

“Mouton, attached to TJ Mouton Attorneys, received R275,209.99 into his trust account for the purchase of fixed property from his client on June 24 2015. The funds were not paid towards purchasing the property but were instead misappropriated,” said Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani.

Mouton pleaded guilty and the court sentenced him to five years' imprisonment which was wholly suspended for five years. But stringent conditions were attached.

“[The] magistrate ordered Mouton to pay at least R55,041.99 [or more] to the Attorneys Fidelity Fund per year until the debt is paid in full,” said Hani.

“Furthermore, Mouton should do 16 hours of community service per month for the entire duration of the sentence and also was declared unfit to possess a firearm.”

TimesLIVE


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