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A teenager who took his father's SUV on a joyride without a license three years ago pleaded guilty to culpable homicide.
Kgaugelo Masenya, 19, pleaded guilty in the Brits Magistrates Court on Tuesday accepting full responsibility for his actions and acknowledging that his reckless driving caused the crash and death of 65-year-old Patrick Jewell.
The father and grandfather died nearly three weeks after the 21 September 2021 incident.
Masenya, who was 16 at the time of the accident in 2021, is the son of a SAPS officer attached to the VIP unit.
Jewell's daughter, Jacky, approached Afriforum's Private Prosecution Unit (PPU) arguing that the police did not investigate the case to protect the officer.
A spokesperson for the PPU Barry Bateman says Masenya approached the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in April, requesting that his case be referred for diversion rather than trial. If diverted, the accused will not have a criminal record. The unit assisted Jacky Jewell in opposing the application due to the serious nature of the offence. Masenya pleaded guilty after the prosecutor informed the court that his diversion application had been rejected.
"We are satisfied that Masenya has accepted responsibility for killing Mr. Jewell. His conduct left a family without a father and grandfather and caused untold emotional hurt. But it should never have taken three years to reach this point. Jacky and her family have been yearning for justice, that would never have been served if the Private Prosecution Unit had not intervened. It's another sign of a failing system, and a callous disregard for the victims of crime," said Bateman.
The court postponed the matter to 26 June 2024 for sentencing.
