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South Africa coffin case: White farmers convicted | South Africa coffin case: White farmers convicted |
(35 minutes later) | |
Two white South African farmers who forced a black man into a coffin have been convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping. | Two white South African farmers who forced a black man into a coffin have been convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping. |
Victor Mlotshwa, 27, was beaten and forced into the coffin by Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen in August 2016. | |
The pair have yet to be sentenced. They had denied the charges. | The pair have yet to be sentenced. They had denied the charges. |
The case has caused outrage in South Africa and highlighted racial tensions in farming communities. | |
Africa Live: More on this and other stories | |
Mr Mlotshwa only reported the matter after footage of the assault emerged on YouTube months later. | |
His attackers threatened to douse him in petrol and burn him alive. | |
In a court affidavit, Jackson and Oosthuizen said they did not mean to harm Mr Mlotshwa but merely wanted to "teach him a lesson". | |
They claimed that Mr Mlotshwa had been trespassing on their land. | |
As Judge Segopotje Mphahlele read out the guilty verdict in Middelburg Magistrates Court on Friday, supporters of the victim burst into songs of celebration. | |
"I'm relieved that justice has been served," Mr Mlotshwa told the BBC. | |
Judge Mphahlele told the court she was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and that it was clear that the convicted men intended to kill the victim. | |
The prosecutor has asked the court to revoke their bail for security reasons. |