18 years in jail for Lesotho man who robbed ‘One Stop car wash’ in Thabong at gunpoint

An armed robber who entered South Africa illegally and robbed Thabong’s famously well-known One Stop Car Wash at a gunpoint with an illegal firearm and shot the owner, will spend 18 years of his life behind bars.

The Welkom Regional Court found the convict, Thabo Motinyane, guilty on all charges of two counts of attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal immigration and in possession of an illegal firearm.

Court then handed down a hefty sentence on August 4.

The armed robbery eventuated in November 2018, when the police received a tip-off of the shooting incident at the car wash.

At that time, the police when they arrived at the scene they found that the business premises was already closed and according to witnesses, the victim who was shot had been taken to Bongani hospital with his private car. 

It is then alleged that the police headed to the hospital and found the victim in critical condition, and his health deteriorated and was then transferred to the Bloemfontein hospital, for further medical treatment.

The police then opened a case of attempted murder and according to preliminary investigations, it was then revealed that the victim was robbed when he was shot.

The 30-year-old suspect was arrested in G-hostel, Thabong and he was positively linked with the armed robbery that ensued.

With evidence presented to the court, the regional court then imposed a harsh punishment to the now-convicted Motinyane.

The court ordered the sentence to run concurrently.

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