Cape Town - A Northern Cape mental health hospital patient who was found fit to stand trial, has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars for the attempted murder of his sister and using a motor vehicle without consent.
The 32-year-old man was sentenced in the Springbok Regional Court recently.
NPA spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused, who was a patient at a Northern Cape mental health hospital, attacked his sister and used her car without consent on January 6, 2022.
“The accused was admitted as a state patient after he brutally murdered a nurse in Upington.
“At the time of the incident, the accused was out on a pass of leave from the psychiatric hospital, and he was staying with his sister. This was also not the first time that the accused was on such a pass of leave.
“The accused’s sister had taken responsibility for the accused as she was the one who signed for his leave," Senokoatsane said.
The man was arrested and sent back to the Northern Cape mental health hospital for observation.
There he was found fit to stand trial.
On September 15, 2022, the accused pleaded guilty to both charges.
The matter was then postponed for a probation officer's report, as well as a victim impact report for sentencing.
He was ultimately sentenced to 14 years of direct imprisonment for attempted murder and four years imprisonment for the use of a motor vehicle without consent.
Cape Times