WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2009-01-22 Time: 04:00:07 Posted By: Jan
By Alex Eliseev
Glenn Agliotti has welcomed the end of a long – and often bizarre – trial of the men accused of terrorising him and his family at their Sandton mansion in 2007.
On Wednesday, the three accused were convicted on a count of aggravated robbery and sentenced to between 18 and 20 years in jail respectively.
“The family are very relieved,” Agliotti said following the judgment.
“We can get a bit of closure and get on with life. My wife and daughter (17 at the time of the attack) still have nightmares.”
Agliotti – on trial for the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble and a crucial witness in the corruption trial against suspended National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi – was not at court to see Selby Khumalo,Vincent Ditlhase and Mncedisi Makamo get “what was due to them”.
Khumalo, it turned out, had a previous conviction for robbery and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
The other two were given 18 years’ jail.
Agliotti and his then fiancee, Lelani Kyprianides, both testified that Khumalo was the most aggressive and violent robber.
Magistrate Renier Boshoff praised Agliotti and Kyprianides for their evidence and said they were impressive witnesses.
But he did not hold back on criticising witnesses who failed to impress him.
Speaking about police officer Aubrey Madinginye, he said: “What a disgrace. Not as a person, but with his (court) appearance. The less I say the better.”
The three accused managed to get off on two charges – one of housebreaking and another of indecent assault.
Agliotti’s daughter testified about the robbers sexually molesting her during the robbery, but Boshoff said she did not make a strong enough witness.
“She was not dishonest, just unreliable,” he said.
Kyprianides was also molested, while Agliotti’s ex-wife Vivian was beaten by the robbers.
What helped state prosecutor Adele Barnard secure convictions was her witnesses identifying the accused, testifying in court, and a fingerprint lifted from a stolen car.
Boshoff dismissed the alibis given by Khumalo, Ditlhase and Makamo.
Khumalo claimed he was in another province fetching a car; Ditlhase claimed his fingerprint was on the car because he ran a carwash; and Makamo said he was at a Randburg nightclub and too drunk to have committed a robbery.
Agliotti’s family were robbed in their R6,5-million mansion on March 5, 2007 while the house was under 24-hour surveillance by the Scorpions.
He lost a lot of exclusive clothing and jewellery, which including a Rolex watch valued at R170 000.
The three suspects were arrested the following month by the police’s Sandton-based tracing task team.
The trial saw Agliotti take the stand three times and even spot a belt – allegedly his – on a man in the public gallery (who turned out to be Makamo’s twin brother).
The trial was also delayed by Agliotti’s sensational claims of being conned by the Scorpions to turn against Selebi – something he later took back.
The trio’s lawyer, Maesela Kekana, said they planned to appeal against the judgment.