A Bethlehem-based police constable and his accomplice are set to stand trial in the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court today (12/10). Const. Petrus Nnetlane (35) and Mollo Phillip Lucas (30) face charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice.
This stems from the alleged forging of an arrest note for Lucas after he reportedly missed work. An investigation by the Hawks unit in Bethlehem uncovered that Nnetlane allegedly colluded with Lucas regarding the issuing of an admission of guilt form under suspicious circumstances.
This was exposed when further investigations revealed that Nnetlane used the particulars of a non-existent police official in the admission of guilt form.
According to investigations by the Hawks’ elite crime fighting unit, Lucas then presented the fake admission of guilt form during an internal disciplinary hearing to his employer.
The hearing against Lucas was reportedly for absentee work in March.
“In the form, it was stated that, on the day in question, Lucas was arrested and given an option to pay a fine or appear in court at a later date for a common assault charge,” said Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks.
He said Lucas’ employer then reported the matter of the suspicious admission of guilt form to the police, which was followed by an in-depth investigation that culminated with the arrest of Nnetlane and Lucas in April this year.
The pair has since been released on R500 bail each.
