Cousins sentenced for hijacking off-duty city cop

TWO COUSINS, Thabo Olivier, 25, and Solomon Olivier, 37, were handed down hefty sentences in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for hijacking an off-duty police officer.

Police spokesperson Captain Sergo Kock said the officer was hijacked on August 9, 2019.

“The officer was hijacked by five men in Kimberley. The hijacker took the victim to a veld close to the Barkly West road (R31). A scuffle ensued and the officer wounded one of the hijackers in the leg. The men tied the victim up and fled with his vehicle.”

Kock said that one of the suspects was arrested at a hospital in Hartswater.

“Police followed up on the information and arrested the wounded accused, Solomon Olivier, at a hospital in Hartswater.

“The hijacked vehicle was found abandoned on the N18 between Harswater and Jan Kempdorp, while a police service pistol was recovered close to the scene on the R31.”

Kock added that another suspect was arrested a month after the incident.

“Police followed up on information and arrested Thabo Olivier at his house in Britstown a month after the incident.

“Solomon Olivier received a 20-year prison sentence while Thabo Olivier was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Both men received a further five-year sentence each for kidnapping. The sentences will run concurrently,” said Kock.