Port Elizabeth - The Douglas police have welcomed the 42-year sentence for a 23-year-old man who stabbed to death a 60-year-old woman who was depositing money into the bank account of a local supermarket in late in 2018.
On Monday, 25 March 2019 the Northen Cape High Court sentenced Tebogo Masire to 15 years imprisonment for aggravated robbery, a life sentence for murder and a further two years for assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm(GBH).
On 28 August 2018 at about 8.30am Helen Janse Van Vuuren (60) was inside ABSA bank to deposit cash belonging to a local supermarket in Douglas, where she was employed.
Masire entered the bank and stabbed her twice with a knife, before fleeing the scene with the money. The victim died at the scene. The accused also threatened and attempted to stab another male who tried to intervene.
The police immediately activated a manhunt and arrested Masire hours later, at his house in Breipaal. The accused remained in custody up until his sentencing.
The deputy provincial commissioner for crime detection in the Northern Cape, Maj-Gen Koliswa Otola commended D/Capt James Oliphant for excellent detective work that resulted in the harsh sentence.
"Criminals of such heinous crimes need to be removed from our communities to ensure that everyone is and feels safe," the police said.