BEFORE the end of his schooling career, a Grade 10 pupil is to serve eight years in prison for murder.
The Empangeni Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday sentenced the 17-year-old after he pleaded guilty to stabbing a friend in the chest during a scuffle which broke out while his group of friends celebrated New Year’s Day in KwaMthethwa this year.
It is believed the group were under the influence at the time, and the accused claimed he was handed the knife by another after the victim assaulted him with a stick.
After the incident, he approached family members who had no choice but to report the matter to the police and was arrested the same day.
The court mitigated the sentence after taking into account the accused’s age, the fact that he was a first offender and the possibility of his rehabilitation.
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