Sebopha Prince Kholophe (25) of Shayandima Township was sentenced to 25 years in jail for attempted murder, armed robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition in the Thohoyandou Regional Court on Monday. The case is related to an incident that took place at Shayandima Township during the night of December 25, 2004, at about 20:25. The court heard that the victim, a 41-year-old police officer, Insp Thivhulawi Tshilate, was talking over a cellphone next to the Shayandima School grounds when the incident occurred. While he was busy talking on the phone, the accused emerged from the nearby bushes and put the barrel of his firearm in Tshilate’s neck. The accused then ordered the lone police inspector to walk into the middle of the playground at gunpoint. While on the pitch the accused opened fire and shot and injured the victim. The victim was shot in the left buttock and thigh. His left leg was broken during the incident. The victim fell down after the shooting. He was bleeding profusely. The victim was robbed of his Z88 9mm parabellum service pistol and a cellphone during the incident. The accused was at large for the whole year until the police received a tip-off in December last year. He was arrested at his Shayandima home during the night of December 26, last year. The victim’s stolen cellphone and firearm were found in the accused’s possession at the time of his arrest. He was sentenced to five years in jail for attempted murder, 15 years for armed robbery, 5 years imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed firearm and another five years for the possession of ammunition.