Bethanie woman sentenced to three years imprisonment for possession of drugs

KEETMANSHOOP, 10 JUL – A 50-year-old woman was sentenced to three years imprisonment on a charge of possession of drugs when she made her fourth appearance in the Bethanie Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Lidia Katzo appeared before Magistrate Murray Shikongo, who sentenced her to three years in prison, of which one year was suspended for a period of five years on condition that the accused is not convicted of possession of dependence producing drugs during the period of suspension.
She was arrested on 16 February this year in possession of 36 parcels of cannabis at her house in Bethanie, after the police were tipped off by members of the community.
The cannabis was valued at N. dollars 1 065.
Katzo on 28 February made her first appearance before Magistrate Marcelle Pienaar, who granted bail for N.dollars 2 000 and postponed the case to 12 April 2018 for further police investigations and for the accused to apply for Legal Aid.
However on 12 April 2018, the court did not proceed because a lawyer was not yet appointed to represent the accused.
Upon the next court date which was 16 May, Katzo’s application for Legal Aid was rejected with an explanation that the case had no merit and Katzo then informed the court that she would conduct her own defence.
She then pleaded not guilty to the charges as she told the court she was not aware of the cannabis that was in her house.
Shikongo sentenced Katzo to three years imprisonment, saying she was charged and convicted of being in possession of drugs twice before already – on 10 April and 07 September 2017 respectively.
“This sort of behaviour must and should be condemned by the court and that can only be achieved by imposing sentences with a deterrent effect. The sentence passed before and coupled with a fine did not seem to have deterred or rehabilitated the accused,” the magistrate stressed.
It is evident that the accused has acquainted herself with a criminal lifestyle, he added.
(NAMPA)