Maseru, Mar. 10 — The High Court has on Tuesday sentenced Lintle Letima (27 years) to a wholly suspended seven years imprisonment after she was found guilty of culpable homicide following the death of her boyfriend Motseki Kholotsa (32 years).
The sentence was suspended for 3 years on condition that she pays M50, 000.00 to the family of the deceased as compensation within 3 years, failing which the sentence will take effect.
The sentence and conviction came after the accused who was initially charged with murder pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and his lawyer Advocate Motjantji Kao confirmed that it was according to his instructions while the prosecution through Adv. Tsebiso Fuma accepted the plea.
Evidence presented before court revealed that the accused and the deceased were having an affair and staying together at Moshoeshoe II. It stated that on Nov 08 2024 the accused who recently discovered that she was pregnant for the deceased found the deceased with his new girlfriend together with his friends at a bar at Seapoint celebrating as the new girlfriend had just graduated from one of the higher learning institutions that day.
The court was told that several efforts by the accused to have a conversation with the deceased failed as the deceased refused to talk to her. It was further told that the deceased and his companions moved to another place where the accused arrived and demanded to talk to him but he still refused.
The evidence revealed that when the accused called the deceased the deceased gave his phone to the new girlfriend to pick and the conversation she had with the accused was not friendly. It indicated that when the deceased and his companions were home on the early morning of November 09 2024, the accused arrived. It added that when she knocked on the door, the deceased opened and when he discovered that it was her he tried to prevent her from coming into the house then an altercation ensued.
The court was further informed that during the altercation the accused grabbed a knife and stabbed the deceased who was taken to hospital but declared dead upon arrival. It was also told that the accused attempted suicide but the friends of the deceased talked her out of it and she handed herself over to the police afterwards.
In mitigation, the accused’s lawyer stated that efforts by his client and her family to engage in talks with the family of the deceased as they intended to contribute in the burial of the deceased failed. He added that the bereaved family also rejected a proposed mediation by the accused through her lawyer as she intended to compensate them. He however said both families eventually reached an agreement that the accused will pay M30,000.00 as compensation.
He stated that the accused had a miscarriage following the incident adding that she was drinking on the fateful day. He added that she was still young, further adding that she cooperated with the police throughout investigations and observed her bail conditions. He asked the court to be lenient in sentencing and not impose a custodial sentence in order to allow the accused to compensate the family of the deceased.
Adv. Fuma, for the prosecution, asked the court to impose the sentence that reflects the sanctity of life and send a message that conflicts should be amicably resolved. He pointed out that the deceased was still young adding that his parents expected a lot from him. He indicated that the family of the deceased is willing to embrace restorative justice and allow the accused to compensate them for the death of their son.
The case was before Justice Ts’eliso Mokoko.
Ends/SM/tl
