Freeman clutches on straws to retain his freedom
ALEXANDRA – Five-time house robber claims fingerprints result from legit jobs.
The freedom of a man appearing in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court and charged with multiple cases of house robbery is on the line.
Freeman Khumalo committed the robberies from 2002 to 2015 in Sandton, Bryanston and Rivonia. His victims lost personal items including watches, laptops, appliances and alcohol valued at approximately R200 000.
His co-accused Mandla Hadebe is already serving an eight-year sentence after he was convicted earlier in the year. Evidence of Khumalo’s involvement is drawn
from witnesses’ testimonies and experts’ results of his fingerprints picked up at the crime scenes.
In mitigation, he claimed the prints were left on the items when either moving furniture in and out of or painting the houses when he was employed as a casual worker. He, however, failed to convince the court.
Read: Police urge community members to be on alert after a group of men attacked a number of families
