Suspended sentence for man who stabbed teen over a cigarette

Stabbing a teenager during an argument about a cigarette in Victoria West has earned a 34-year-old man a suspended prison sentence in the Northern Cape. 

District police commissioner Maj-Gen Nomana Mtukushe commended Det-Const Priscilla Makoli for an exemplary investigation that led to the conviction of Klaas Babers. 

Babers got involved in a heated altercation with the 17-year-old boy on September 19 2024. 

“During the dispute, the accused stabbed the teenager with a knife. The matter was reported to the police by the victim, who was accompanied by a family member,” said police spokesperson Sgt Molefi Shemane. 

The suspect was arrested and remained in custody until the conclusion of the trial which saw Babers convicted of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. 

“He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence during the period of suspension,” added Shemane. 

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