A Gaborone-based police officer last week appeared before Francistown Magistrate, Thebeetsile Mulalu, to answer to a charge of murder.
The accused, Kelatlhile Motlogelwa, is alleged to have murdered his girlfriend, Kenanao Lekgetho, in Block 2 location in Francistown on the 30th of June 2010.
Lekgetho, who worked for a security company in Francistown, allegedly had a misunderstanding with Motlogelwa over the messages that were received on her cell phone.
It is alleged that when Lekgetho knocked off from work, she found Motlogelwa sleeping and joined him in the same bed.
The accused claims to have ignored the deceased and she got out of the blankets and said good night to him.
Motlogelwa continued sleeping and when he woke up, he found Lekgetho hanging on the rafters of the house and he then alerted the neighbours who called the police.
The police came and took the body to Nyangabwe Referral Hospital where she was certified dead.
The accused, who is still in custody, pleaded with the court to afford him a chance to meet with the relatives of the deceased to prepare for burial.
“I want to plead with this court to afford me a chance to go to meet with the relatives of the deceased and prepare for burial because I know I am innocent of the charge,” he asserted.
He further to asked the court to give him an opportunity to go for another mention in Palapye, where he is facing a charge of causing death through dangerous driving.
However, the court ruled that he be remanded in custody as investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile a Zimbabwean national, Thabani Zororai Mahubaba, also appeared before the same magistrate to answer to charges of unlawful possession of devices or data.
It is alleged that Mahubaba on the 17th of March 2010 was arrested by the Francistown Police who were tipped by the members of the public about Mahubaba being in possession of government data.
According to the summary of facts, the accused was interviewed and the police also went further to search his house at Somerset Extension Location in Francistown where an Acer Central Processing Unit (CPU) was recovered. The computer was then seized and sent to the Computer Forensics Analyst in Gaborone for examination and it emerged that official documents and Date Stamps for the Botswana Government Departments were stored in the system.
Information found in the system included the Department of Immigration, Department of Labour, Botswana Police Service and National Registration.
However, the prosecution told court that the accused intentionally and without lawful excuse or justification, manufactures, procures for use, imports, exports, distributes data as a purpose of committing cyber crime.
Among evidence exhibits produced in court were an Acer Computer, Computer Forensic Analyst Report, Residence Permits bearing Gaborone Immigration official stamps, Non Citizen work permits and Botswana Police Services Official Stamp, which is said to be of the Good Hope Police station. Mahubaba pleaded guilty to all the offences and sentencing will be next week.
The state is represented by Careb Mbenda.
