An Alex man was recently sentenced to three years imprisonment by Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for housebreaking and theft committed at a Parkmore house in September last year.
Previously, Mario Kunene (41) was given the now-prohibited five cuts by the then-Wynberg Magistrates’ Court for tampering with someone’s motor vehicle in 1986. Then, in 1999, he was sentenced to 15 years for robbery by the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
This time, the court found him guilty of the theft of household items due to fingerprint evidence linking him to the Parkmore incident.
The court heard that on the day, the homeowner, a 75-year-old woman, left her residence at 4.50pm with all the doors locked and the windows closed. When she returned with relatives at 10.30pm, she found the front door wide open and noticed a garden fork and spade near the door, which she suspected were used to open the door. The door lock was also damaged.
On entry, they found household items strewn around. They went outside to check and found other items including her TV, picture frame and clothes at a river that runs near the house.
The security guards, who had already apprehended the two suspects, helped the victim and her relatives return the items to the house. The TV and picture frame were taken for forensic testing and the results linked Kunene to the crime.
A legal expert said that despite his criminal record, Kunene may have received a light sentence because the victim recovered most of the stolen items.
The other person was released due to a lack of evidence.
