GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Graaff-Reinet police made 29 arrests for serious crimes last week, with a further 19 for minor offences.

The vast majority of the arrests were for property-related crimes, with seven suspects arrested for robbery, three for housebreaking and theft, one for shoplifting and eight for theft. There was also one arrest for theft out of a motor vehicle.

Five suspects were also arrested for possession of drugs, two for assault GBH and one on a warrant of arrest.

The minor arrests comprise 11 for being drunk and disorderly, five for drinking in public, and three traffic violations. There were eight convictions secured in Graaff-Reinet courts on 2 April and 3 April.

Two of these were for drunken driving. In each case, the driver was sentenced to a fine of R5 000 or 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for three years. The driver's licence was also suspended for three months.

For possession of Mandrax, the accused was sentenced to a fine of R2 500 or six months' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years.

In two sentences for separate cases of theft, the same sentence was given: a fine of R2 000 or 120 days' imprisonment, suspended for three years, with the accused declared unfit to possess a firearm.

For housebreaking and theft, the sentence of five years, until the child is 21 years of age, was handed down.

A sentence of a fine of R2 000 or six months' imprisonment was given to the accused in a fraud case, and for possession of drugs, the sentence was a fine of R500 or three months' imprisonment, suspended for three years. This accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Confiscations this week comprise 10 Okapi knives, one tik straw, one Mandrax tablet, 14 dagga bompies , one iron wheel spanner, four Toyota wheel caps, and one white Mazda sedan.

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