Controversial Boksburg boxing star Thomas ‘Tommy Gun’ Oosthuizen was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years under strict conditions, after being found guilty on six charges in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on November 24.
The former multiple IBO champion will be under house arrest for the duration of his sentence, which comes with strict conditions, including drug and alcohol testing, after pleading guilty to and being found guilty of on two charges of common assault, two charges of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) and two charges of crimen injuria.
He was facing nine charges, including four charges of assault GBH, four charges of crimen injuria (unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another) and a charge of resisting arrest.
The first charge of common assault dates back to July 2017 when Oosthuizen punched a patron at a bar. At a bar again, in November 2019, he got into an altercation with a two patrons, the one he punched and kicked, and the other he punched.
In February this year, at a friend’s house in Van Dyk Park, Oosthuizen admitted to being under the influence of alcohol when a man came to collect R100 Oosthuizen owed him. Oosthuizen confronted the man about an allegation that he had told people he had beaten Oosthuizen up.
This angered Oosthuizen and he hit the man with a spanner and punched him several times.
Police were called to the scene and when two officers arrived Oosthuizen called them the k-word.
The court found the victims of these assaults sustained “dangerous inflicting wounds”, including a swollen eye, an open wound, fractured ribs, a head injury and an injured lip which had to be stitched and receive reconstructive surgery.
It was concluded before the sentencing that Oosthuizen appears to have a disposition to violence and tends to resort to violence to solve any conflict. The proposed sentence, the court documents read, has to address this disposition to prevent a reoccurrence in future.
The court further stated that administering restorative justice in an attempt to address the accused’s wrong ways, prevent recurrence of conflict with the law, acceptance of responsibility and restitution through mediation and repayment of damages to the victims have had historically no deterrent effect.
In 2016, Oosthuizen was arrested for attempted murder of security officers at a residential complex in Ravenswood. After an admission of wrongdoing a mediation agreement was negotiated between the State and his legal representatives and R5 000 compensation was paid to the complainants.
In 2017, Oosthuizen was convicted in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court of malicious damage to property. Sentencing was postponed on condition that the damages of R8 700 be paid to the complainant (his father, Charles Oosthuizen) for the damage to his car. The money was paid.
It was also stated that the prevalence of the offences to be associated with the use of alcohol or substances plays a pivotal role in the committal of offences and is an aspect which the sentencing must address.
Things taken into account before sentencing included the fact Oosthuizen has two minor children, the youngest being four months old, that he is a professional boxer and well known public figure (a letter was submitted from Lovemore Lawyers, in Rockdale, Australia, which stated Lovemore Ndou was recently appointed as his boxing agent and manager) and that Oosthuizen has two previous convictions for the possession of dangerous dependency producing drugs and malicious injury to property to which an element of violence is relevant.
His house arrest conditions also require Oosthuizen to do 20 hours of community service per month at the welfare department or Life Ministries. in Sunward Park.
The 32-year-old boxer will also need to attend life skills, anger management and substance abuse programmes, as well as psychotherapy and counselling.
The boxer will be allowed to resurrect his career by returning to training to prepare himself for competition but his trainer, suspected to be Harold Volbrecht, his boxing agent retired boxer-turned-lawyer Lovemore Ndou and potential promoter will liaise with Community Corrections and the dedicated case worker to ensure full compliance with all conditions of correctional supervision are imposed.
Oosthuizen also appeared in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court in mid-November on an assault charge. The matter was postponed to December 20 for representations to the National Prosecuting Authority.
Oosthuizen’s last professional fight was a title bout in March of 2019 in a loss to Aleksey Egorov in Russia – leaving his impressive 33-fight record to 28-3-2 including 16 knockout victories.
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