Two 18-year-old Alex youths, Billy Hlengwa and Gift Ngobeni, were sentenced to five years in prison by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for theft of a cellphone and wristwatch.
The court heard that at about 1.30pm on 19 February, the 17-year-old victim was walking along a street from Highlands North Boys High School with his headphones in his ears listening to music on his cellphone in his blazer pocket.
The suspects approached the victim from the opposite direction and asked him for R2, which he said he didn’t have. As the victim proceeded, he felt one of the suspects grab him by the neck from behind and pointed a gun at his head. The accused’s accomplice searched the victim and took his cellphone and wristwatch.
The victim made a noise which attracted a passerby, who the accused then threatened with the firearm, forcing him to proceed on his way. The suspects then ran off and the passerby returned to the aid of the victim.
Both waved down a passing motorist who they told about incident. The three followed the accused in the car and were joined by a Community Action Patrol squad which had been alerted to the incident. They apprehended the accused and recovered the firearm. Members of another security agency caught his accomplice who they saw running away nearby.
The cellphone and wristwatch were recovered. After inspection, the firearm turned out to be a toy gun. It was taken for forensic testing to determine fingerprints and if it was used in other crimes.
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