I’M BEING USED AS SCAPEGOAT - QING

MBABANE – “I have been treated unfairly.”

A livid Qing Ming He made the allegation while being escorted by Correctional officers after being sentenced to life imprisonment. As the officers led him out of the court building, Qing repeatedly told the officers that he wanted to speak to this publication’s journalists to express his displeasure in the manner he claimed he had been treated. Qing wondered why it took so long - four years - to convict and sentence him when the court could have done so early. He alleged that he was being made a sacrificial lamb. “How could I have killed Oliveira when I was already arrested? The people who killed Oliveira are still out there. I am being made a scapegoat,” Qing said. According to the convict, he was allegedly being discriminated against because he is a Chinese national. He alleged that he was not treated fairly throughout the trial. Qing, through his attorney, Noncedo Ndlangamandla, indicated that he would file an appeal against the sentence.

Involved

During mitigation, Ndlangamandla, on behalf of Qing, said the court found that Qing was involved in the commission of the offences by providing the car which was used as a major tool for committing the offences and that his cellphone was used to convey ransom messages to Oiveira’s wife, Audilia. She told the court that it was trite that Qing’s involvement in the commission of the offences was unknown. That, according to Ndlangamandla, should weigh in favour of Qing. The evidence before court, said Ndlangamandla, pointed to the fact that all Qing did was to provide a motor vehicle to be used in the commission of the offence. This, according to Ndlangamandla, should have reduced his moral blameworthiness.

Mitigation

In mitigation, Qing told the court that he was 44 years old in 2017 when the offences were committed. He said he received basic primary education and dropped out at high school. He cited a case in which the court found that an accused person was semi-illiterate since he attained primary education and that his lack of education should be weighed into the balance. Qing also pleaded for leniency and submitted that he was a first-time offender.  He said he was married with two minor children who, prior to his arrest, were dependent on his support and maintenance. He further submitted that he had a sickly mother in his home country and she depended on him for support and maintenance as prior to his arrest. Qing was a businessman operating a number of supermarkets before his arrest.

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