‘Woolies Looter’ Handed Suspended Sentence After Lawyer Asks for Leniency Saying Client Has Suffered Enough

• The Woolworths looter has been sentenced to three years imprisonment suspended for five years
• Mbuso Moloi's lawyer asked the Durban Regional Court for leniency in sentencing his client
• Willie Lombard told the court that Moloi had suffered enough after his looting spree went viral

DURBAN - The infamous Woolworths looter has been sentenced to three years imprisonment, suspended for five years for his part in the July 2021 riots.

The Durban Regional Court also slapped Mbuso Moloi with a R1 000 fine for violating traffic laws, eNCA reported.

Woolies looter caught stealing groceries during July unrest

Moloi was caught fleeing a Woolworths store in Glenwood, Durban Central, with a basket full of items he stole from the outlet.

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The man then put his loot in the boot of his luxurious Mercedes Benz before leaving the scene. The number plate on the vehicle did not match the licence disc.

Moloi pled guilty to theft and contravention of the traffic regulation in March 2022.

Woolies looter's lawyer details how client life fell apart after viral video

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Moloi's lawyer detailed how his client's life had fallen into disarray in the aftermath of his viral video from the July 2021 unrest.

This was what Advocate Wille Lombard told the court in a bid to mitigate his client's sentence.

Lombard said Moloi had been punished enough in the fallout from the video of him looting. Lombard called the state to impose a R15 000 fine and a suspended sentence, News24 reported.

Lombard detailed to the court how the Woolworths looter's actions had changed his life for the worse.

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After his image spread like wildfire online, Moloi allegedly lost his job at a United Kingdom company. The man was working remotely from Durban and was gearing up to emigrate to the UK.

Lombard claimed that man also lost the vehicle after it was seized by the state and then forfeited to the bank.

South Africans have no sympathy for the Woolies looter

Below are some comments:

@Brettbenraphael slammed:

"Bet he wouldn't dare loot in the UK..but here, it's ok."

@GumbiJabulano added:

"This young man should have been circumspect and given a wide berth of the locale of the looting frenzy. He suffered from poor judgement and has paid an ignominious heavy price!"

@Dida_21296 questioned:

"Are we supposed to feel sorry for him?"

@ermes44 said:

"Good, that’s what happens when you are a thief."

@WilfredCola pleaded:

"Woolies, please show compassion and employ him. This will go a long way in healing, and your marketing share will go up with ordinary citizens."

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Parolee handed life sentence for killing a friend’s niece, SA disturbed: “We’re living with sick animals”

In another story, Briefly News reported that Jacob Mokibe was handed a life sentence by the South Gauteng High Court for murdering a 12-year-old girl on February 15, 2022.

The 39-year-old parolee was convicted of abduction, sexual assault, murder, and defeating the administration of justice.

According to TimesLIVE, Mokibe killed his friend's niece because he had feelings for the girl's mother. He lured Mathlogonolo Maditse to the bushes after school by telling her that her family went there to pray.

Source: Briefly News