Two police officers in South Africa found guilty of murdering a 16-year-old teenager — TimesLIVE

In South Africa, the Gauteng High Court in Palm Ridge found two police officers guilty of the murder of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies, who was shot in August 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. TimesLIVE reports.

Court ruling

The court found Constable Kaylin Whiteboy and Sergeant Simon Ndiyalvane guilty of murder. Detective Vorster Netsiungolo was found guilty of unlawful possession of ammunition and perjury, but acquitted of the charge of being an accessory after the murder.

On August 26, 2020, Nathaniel Julies left his home for a nearby shop when he sustained a fatal gunshot wound from shotgun pellets. Police took him to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where medics pronounced the teenager dead.

Case circumstances

Whiteboy, who fired the fatal shot, was also found guilty of defeating the ends of justice. During bail proceedings, she said that she believed her weapon was loaded with rubber bullets.

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Ndiyalvane, who was at the scene of the shooting, was also found guilty of unlawful possession of ammunition, defeating the ends of justice and perjury. The court heard testimony that after the shooting, he picked up a spent cartridge case.

Netsiungolo arrived only after the shooting. The court heard that he and Ndiyalvane planted ammunition at the scene and created a version according to which Julies had allegedly been caught in crossfire from unknown individuals. At the same time, the prosecution did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Netsiungolo was an accessory after the murder. The court also did not establish that Whiteboy and Ndiyalvane had planned the murder.

All three defendants remain free on bail. They are due to appear before the court again on November 11 for hearings ahead of sentencing.