Man who killed farm-worker gets six years
Stefan Hepburn shot Jan Railo in an alleged hunting accident, saying he thought he was a bush-pig.
Stefan Hepburn was sentenced to six years direct imprisonment by the Modimolle Regional Court on Tuesday. Photo: Die Pos
Provincial police management in Limpopo have welcomed the six year direct imprisonment sentence handed to Stefan Hepburn, 40, for killing 25-year-old Jan Railo, after he mistook him for a Warthog in 2017, police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo told Polokwane Review.
“The accused, from Pretoria, was in 2018 convicted by the Modimolle Regional Court on a charge of culpable homicide and was sentenced yesterday, 29 January 2019 by the same court,” Mojapelo explained.
Jan Railo was shot and killed on February 11 2017 on the Tuinplaas farm in the Modimolle Cluster. Railo, a farmworker at the time, was shot dead by Hepburn after he mistook him for a warthog.
Welcoming the sentence, the Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba warned all authorised hunters to be extra careful and first make proper identification before shooting any animal they are hunting.
“This sentence should serve as a wake up call to all persons making use of firearms, that any form of negligence will not be tolerated. We also commend the team of investigators, led by Captain Richard Boshomane for leaving no stone unturned,” concluded General Ledwaba.
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