South African justice? Rob the banks and get 169 years. Kill someone and get away with it.
Johannesburg - The three-year trial of the notorious "Crowbar Man" bank robber ended in the Germiston regional court on Friday when he was sentenced to 169 and a half years in prison, police said.
Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said 29-year-old Lemack Masuku was found guilty on 11 charges of bank robbery and nine charges of malicious damage to property.
He would serve an effective 55 years in prison. Leading a gang of five, using crowbars, Masuku wreaked havoc in Gauteng in 2001, robbing banks and breaking tellers' glass windows to gain access to money.
He was already serving a 12-year sentence with two other gang members on similar charges, Martins-Engelbrecht said. She added that three of the other gangsters were still awaiting trial and one had died.
"We hope this sentence will serve as a strong message to all criminals that we are adamant about removing them from society, " said acting provincial commissioner Zukiswa Mbombo.
She congratulated the investigative team for their outstanding detective work.
