Coffin assault: Two accused found guilty
The two accused in the coffin assault case have been found guilty of the attempted murder of Victor Mlotshwa as well as assaulting him with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Jackson have also been convicted of kidnapping and intimidation.
Mlotshwa says the pair forced him into a coffin on a farm in Mpumalanga and threatened to pour petrol over him. A video of the incident surfaced last year.
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Handing down judgement in the High Court sitting in Middelburg, Judge Segopotje Mphahlele said the conduct of Oosthuizen and Jackson was evidence of people wanting to commit murder.
"Their conduct if persisted with - could have led to the death of Mlotswa. The voluntary withdrawal or otherwise of the accused cannot seem to lessen their guilt in respect of this count," she said.
Oosthuizen and Jackson have been acquitted on a count of the unlawful possession of a firearm as the court found there was insufficient evidence to prove this.
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