A repeat offender, with more than five previous convictions, added another dubious record to his name, when he committed his latest offence on the way to prison where he was to begin a five year jail term.
Kenneth Kentsitswe (25), who first entered his name on Botswana’s crime records as a 14 year old teenager, set a new record on the Botswana crime books recently when he was arrested and charged, a few minutes before he could start serving a five year jail term for house breaking.
Prison officials transporting Kentsitswe from court to his prison cell, where he was to start serving the latest in a string of jail terms, made a detour at the prison gates after the recidivist offender was caught with dagga stashed in his pockets.
Kentshitswe, who apparently attended the last day of his court session with dagga stuffed in his pockets, was back in court again this week, after he was arrested before he could start serving his latest jail term.
Kentshitswe, who was being dragged to court for the sixth time in the past 10 years, shocked a packed court room when he pleaded with Urban Customary Court President, Dikwalo Monametsi, to flog him instead of increasing his jail term saying he was “sick and tired” of prison.
Reading out Kentshitswe’s previous convictions, Constable Phirinyane of Central Police Station, told the court that the accused’s first conviction was on 08/08/1996 in Molepolole, where he was sentenced to two strokes for shop breaking and theft.
He was back in court a few months later on 01/04/1997 and sentenced to four strokes for house breaking. The scars on his bottom had hardly faded when he was sent to jail for 12 months on 06/04/1999 after he was found guilty of malicious damage to property.
Before passing sentence, Kgosi Dikwalo Monametsi said the accused was a serious criminal who deserved to be in prison. Monametsi sentenced Kentshiswe to three months in jail plus five strokes.
