A judge has sentenced eight South African policemen to 15 years in prison for the murder of a Mozambican taxi driver.<\/p>\n
Mido Macia was killed in 2013 when officers tied him to the back of a police van by his arms before driving off.<\/p>\n
He was found in a pool of blood in police custody.<\/p>\n
Judge Bert Bam called the killing “barbaric” but acknowledged that it was not premeditated.<\/p>\n
Sentencing the men, aged between 25 and 56, Mr Bam said: “The continuous conduct of the accused concerning the injuries on the deceased was barbaric and totally inexplicable.<\/p>\n
“What made their conduct more reprehensible was their cowardly attack in the cell on a defenceless and already seriously injured man.”<\/p>\n
A lawyer for the former officers said they would appeal against the murder conviction.<\/p>\n
Analysis: Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg<\/strong><\/p>\n The sentencing of these officers sends a message that police brutality will not be tolerated by the judiciary, following several recent cases.<\/p>\n Judge Bert Bam sent a clear and unambiguous message that while the police are facing an onslaught from ruthless criminals – more than 60 police officers have been killed on duty this year alone – they cannot take the law into their own hands.<\/p>\n Another important factor here was the power of video material which is increasingly used as evidence in court.<\/p>\n No-one knows what would have happened if a bystander had not filmed Mido Macia being dragged behind a police vehicle with both his hands tied up. He was later found in a pool of blood in a holding cell.<\/p>\n There is huge public opinion support for the police as they try hard to keep communities safe against gun-toting thugs. However the people of Daveyton and indeed all South Africans will now be reassured that the rule of law prevails, even against the police.<\/p>\n Police pulled over 27-year-old Mr Macia in February 2013 after he allegedly parked a vehicle illegally in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.<\/p>\n Following a struggle, they overpowered the driver before handcuffing him to the back of a vehicle.<\/p>\n He was later assaulted in his cell and died from head injuries and internal bleeding.<\/p>\n The incident was filmed by a bystander and caused outrage among rights groups. A judge has sentenced eight South African policemen to 15 years in prison for the murder of a Mozambican taxi driver. Mido Macia was killed in 2013 when officers tied him to the back of a police van by his arms before driving off. He was found in a pool of blood in police custody. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":166138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[38,14],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nBy: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"