- A KZN cop attached to elite National Intervention Unit will spend 33 years in prison after committing a double murder.
- Following an argument at a wedding, he shot and killed two men and injured others.
- The officer said he acted in self-defence, an argument the court did not accept.
A police officer who was attached to the elite National Intervention Unit (NIU) was sentenced to 33 years in prison for committing a double murder at a wedding, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Thursday.
Constable Lindani Liberty Ngobese, 34, was sentenced in the Mtubatuba Magistrate's Court for murders and attempted murders he committed in December 2018 in Mnqobokazi, Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal.
At the time, Ngobese was a member of the NIU in Durban.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said Ngobese attended a wedding at a homestead in Hluhluwe when an argument erupted between him and a group of men. He pulled out his service pistol and fired shots.
"Two of them were wounded and two others died. Ngobese turned himself in at the Hluhluwe police station."
Kara said regional court prosecutor Thabsile Ncanana presented the testimonies of two victims, eyewitnesses and police officials who attended the crime scene. Ngobese's version to the court was that he had acted in self-defence.
"To further bolster the State's case, Ncanana handed in victim impact statements facilitated by court preparation officer, Mandisa Sikakane, and compiled by the victims as well as the family of the deceased."
The Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, advocate Elaine Zungu, said: "The violent behaviour displayed by the accused was unwarranted and unnecessary. Also, society looks to police officials for safety and protection. Instead, the accused was responsible for the loss of innocent lives."
Do you want to know more about this topic? Sign up for one of News24's 33 newsletters to receive the information you want in your inbox. Special newsletters are available to subscribers.