Just as matters seem to slow to a standstill, the final banging of the gavel comes swiftly.
On an incoherent rampage, Naseem Slamang hurdled the bannister of a Goldman Square pizzeria back in September 2020. The man violently attacked a young girl, forcing the owner of the restaurant to heroically wrestle the small victim from the grips of her drug-fuelled assailant. Dishal Sooku won widespread adulation, a mother and daughter were left traumatised, but the long wait for justice is finally over.
Read initial article here: WATCH: Florida restaurant goers prevent deranged man’s attack on young girl
Slamang has spent every minute since the incident in the custody of authorities, and after numerous postponements, chopping and changing of legal council and a half-hearted bail attempt toward the end of 2021, his long-term fate has been sealed. At 28-years-old on the day of his arrest, Slamang will be just a few years into his forties when, barring any further unfortunate incidents, he is next a free man.
In the final acts of the over 16 month process, Slamang pled guilty to two separate charges on January 25 2022, one for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and the other for attempted kidnapping. Handing down the judgement in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court on Friday February 4, Magistrate Etienne van Niekerk sentenced Naseem Slamang to 18 years in prison, with five of those years suspended.
Magistrate Van Niekerk attached an eight-year sentence to the assault charge, five of which were suspended on condition that Slamang not be convicted of another assault or violent crime. In addition, he must undergo crime-prevention and drug-rehabilitation programmes, and will be subject to random drug testing with any positive drug test forcing the full sentence to come into effect.
The minimum sentence for the attempted kidnapping charge stood at 10 years, and Magistrate Van Niekerk could find no reason for leniency. In sentencing, the magistrate cited that while Slamang had admitted to the destructive nature of his drug addiction and also plead guilty, he had no other option to do so as he was caught red-handed committing the offences. In sentencing, Magistrate Van Niekerk stated, “The interest of the community and seriousness of the offence outweigh his personal circumstances and therefore no deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence”.
