The De Aar Regional Court recently handed down a 12-year direct imprisonment sentence to the 28-year-old Anthony Hector for damage to essential infrastructure in De Aar.
Sgt Timothy Sam, media spokesperson of the police, said during the trail the court heard that on 1 December last year, the accused was spotted inside the Transnet yard by a security officer.
Hector tried to ward off the security officer with a knife and the police had to be called for assistance with the arrest.
As the prevention of damage to and tampering with essential infrastructure is a priority for the police, the provincial commissioner, Lt. Gen. Koliswa Otola, said efforts will continue unabatedly to address this crime, and to ensure that perpetrators committing these crimes will feel the full might of the law.
Sam said the police in the Northern Cape has noted the escalation of the theft of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, commenting that this conviction is a direct result of meticulous police investigations.
