Teenage son of SAPS VIP Protection officer pleads guilty to culpable homicide
Nearly three years after a deadly crash that cost the life of an elderly Brits man, the teenage driver, who was on a joyride in his father’s SUV, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and driving without a licence. In a statement read out in the Brits Magistrates Court yesterday, Kgaugelo Masenya (19) accepted full responsibility for his actions and acknowledged that his reckless driving caused the crash and death of Patrick Jewell (65). The father and grandfather died nearly three weeks after the 21 September 2021 incident.
AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit represents Jewell’s daughter, Jacky Jewell, who approached the unit for help because of the police’s abject failure to investigate the case. The teenager’s father is a captain in the police’s VIP Protection Unit. It was suspected that the failure to investigate the case was the result of police officers covering for their colleagues. Masenya was 16-years-old at the time of the incident.
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.
The unit’s investigator Chris Gouws was the driving force behind this matter being properly investigated and enrolled for prosecution. Gouws filed two service complaints against police officials before the SAPS took the matter seriously.
Jacky Jewell described the guilty plea as a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. “I can’t describe this feeling. Justice has been done for my dad. I am so grateful for AfriForum’s support, Chris Gouws in particular who pushed through and never let go. Eventually my dad mattered, so there is justice for him,” she said.
Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the unit, said Masenya’s decision to plead guilty was the right thing to do. “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.
