Three men were sentenced on Tuesday after they were found guilty by the Somerset West Magistrate's Court of stealing and torturing a horse to death.
Desling Snyman, 19, William Williams, 20, and a 15-year-old teenager were sentenced to one year imprisonment, of which six months were suspended for three years, provided they were not found guilty of a similar offence within that time.
The three were found guilty last week of stealing and torturing Bukshi, an Arab gelding and a rescued cart horse, which belonged to a local family, in April 2010.
According to the Bolander newspaper he had been ridden with a barbed wire bit, beaten, whipped and stabbed, and had his tail and mane cut off. He had been missing for three days and managed to walk back to his home. A vet had to put him down.
The two other accused, Benito Plaatjies and Marlin Arries, were found not guilty as there was insufficient evidence against them.
