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Light sentence for Jordan youth?
19/06/2007 14:03 - (SA)
Cape Town - A probation officer on Tuesday recommended correctional supervision, involving part prison and part house arrest, for the youngest of the five facing sentence for the murder of baby Jordan-Leigh Norton.
Probation officer Joel Ntuli told the Cape High Court his recent interview with Bonginkosi Sigenu, 18, had been his second interview with the youth.
The first interview had been a few years ago when Ntuli had had to asses Sigenu in an earlier armed robbery case in the Bellville regional court, he said.
Because Sigenu was now involved in a murder as well as an armed robbery again, Ntuli would have recommended a long term jail sentence for Sigenu.
However, in the recent interview, Ntuli had "noticed Sigenu's facial expression", which had softened Ntuli's attitude, and he now, once again, recommended correctional supervision and appropriate sentence for him.
Correctional supervision involves a jail sentence not exceeding five years, of which the prisoner is considered for release into house arrest after serving only one fifth of the sentence.
Ntuli said Sigenu could be rehabilitated, and should be sent to the youth prison at Drakenstein near Paarl, where there would be programmes for Sigenu to complete his schooling.
He said Sigenu's lawyer, Caryl Verrier, had engaged him at short notice, which had caused Ntuli to combine the new report with the first one compiled in the Bellville case by a colleague.
Ntuli said peer and financial pressures had caused Sigenu to "go the crime route".
Ntuli added: "Each time he gets money he buys clothing.
"Even after he received his share of the R10 000 for the murder of this baby, his first thoughts were to head for a clothing shop."
The hearing continues.
- SAPA
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