Bling king’s crime partner awaits his fate

Independent Newspapers

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Pretoria - Prosecutor Elize le Roux believes that the facts speak for themselves.

“The emotional trauma suffered by the victims. The fact that (Tshetlo Neo Mokone) was on the run from the law and that an innocent bystander was fatally wounded during the last robbery,” she said on Tuesday.

Le Roux was arguing in aggravation of sentence at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, where Mokone, co-accused of William “King of Bling” Mbatha, has been found guilty of 15 of the 34 charges arising from blue-light robberies in which police were impersonated.

Mokone had pleaded not guilty to the 34 charges, which included murder and kidnapping.

He was first arrested in 2009 and released on R10 000 bail, but failed to return to court in April 2010.

He was arrested again in October 2011, after having evaded the police for almost two years and after a high-speed chase by the police.

The police had been alerted about a robbery at China Mall. Mokone fled the scene and a shoot-out left two people dead.

On Tuesday, Mokone, 34, was dressed impeccably, much like the “King of Bling” himself, and listened calmly to the arguments.

Mokone has been convicted on six counts of attempted murder, one of murder, two of kidnapping, two of robbery and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, impersonating a police officer and illegally wearing a police uniform.

Mbatha was sentenced last year to 35 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of impersonating police officers and robbing a businessman at gunpoint.

Mokone is to be told his fate on Friday next week.

Pretoria News