A SEARCH at Westville Prison uncovered an electronic tablet which had been stolen from a Bluff home and led to a longer prison term for an arriving inmate.
While searching the new inmate on 6 May, a prison warden found a tablet.
When the warden searched through the electronic device, she noticed the images on it were of a different person. She called a number on the tablet and the caller confirmed it had been stolen.
On 2 May, a thief had walked into a Polkinghorn Road home through an unlocked kitchen door between 10pm and 3am and made off with the tablet, valued at R2,500, and R600 in cash. Three days later the thief, a 26-year-old from Port St Johns, was arrested for another crime in a neighbouring area and sent to Westville prison.
Brighton Beach SAPS’ Constable Samukelo Memela interviewed the thief in prison, after the tablet was found. He told Cst Memela he did not break into the house.
After speaking to the owner of the tablet, who proved ownership, Cst Memela returned to the prison to speak to the inmate, who eventually admitted to the crime.
He appeared in the Durban Regional Court on Friday, 30 October. He was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the charge of housebreaking and theft.
“Brighton Beach SAPS management acknowledges the role the prison warden played in sourcing the evidence which helped Cst Memela link the suspect to the scene of crime.
The management also commends Cst Memela for securing the admission of guilt by the suspect which added to a harsher sentence being imposed by the court,” said communications officer, Captain Louise Le Roux.
