‘Warthog’ hunter, Stefan Hepburn, sentenced to six years direct imprisonment
Jan Railo was shot and killed in February 2017 by Stefan Hepburn who told police he had mistaken Railo for a warthog.
LIMPOPO – Provincial police management in Limpopo have welcomed the six year direct imprisonment sentence handed to Stefan Hepburn (40) for killing Jan Railo (25), after he mistook him for a Warthog in 2017, says police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
Read more: Modimolle worker shot dead: hunter (39) remanded in custody
“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 11 February 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.
Read more: Political parties weigh in as ‘warthog hunter’ awaits bail
Welcoming the sentence, the Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba warned all authorized 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 un-turned,” concluded General Ledwaba.
