Former cop to clean police station for taking bribe
18 September 2013 17:28
A former Cape Town
policeman has been sentenced to community service in the form of cleaning and
maintenance at a police station for taking a bribe.
Victor Loxton (39) who was
based at Table View Police Station, was also fined R2 000, payable immediately,
or 12 months’ jail and five years’ imprisonment, conditionally suspended for
five years.
In addition to the fine and
suspended prison sentence, he was sentenced to three years’ house arrest, and
was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Loxton’s trial, before
Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime
Court, took the form of plea-bargain proceedings.
Prosecutor
NontobekoMagopeni told the court Loxton had undertaken, for a R2 000 bribe, to
use his influence as a police official to secure the release from prison of his
friend Marshenino van Witt.
Loxton boasted to Van
Witt’s father that he had friends in high places, one of whom was a senior
prosecutor at the Parow Regional Court in Cape Town.
Loxton said the money would
be given to the senior prosecutor.
Van Witt’s uncle paid the money,
but later demanded it back because no progress had been made with Van Witt’s
release.
Loxton said the money had
already been paid to the senior prosecutor, and could thus not be refunded.
According to the
plea-bargain document, the uncle approached the senior prosecutor, who denied
receiving any money and initiated a corruption investigation against Loxton.
It transpired that Loxton
had in fact approached the senior prosecutor about Van Witt’s release, and that
the matter was placed on the roll for a court ruling, in the normal manner.
According to the document,
Loxton kept the money for himself, which constituted a corrupt gratification.
Loxton pleaded guilty to
two counts of corruption – one relating to his request to Van Witt’s father for
the R2 000, and the other to the R2 000 he received from Van Witt’s uncle.
- Sapa
