Police files latest: Corrupt cop sentenced to 50 years in jail

A corrupt former policeman who stole a police docket and a state laptop and was found in possession of entrapment money has been sentenced to 50 years in jail in the Odendaalsrus Regional Court.

Freestate SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said Frederick George de Bruin, 50, had been dismissed from the police and handed down the hefty sentence for a slew of corruption related charges in the Free State Court on Monday.

Makhele said that on 20 January 2021 at about 1pm the detective warrant officer had approached a suspect who had been charged with reckless and negligent driving, promising that he could steal the police docket and sell it to him for R5000. The police officer had not been assigned to investigate the case.

The whistle blower reported the incident to the authority and the incident was reported to the SAPS Provincial Anti Corruption Unit. An entrapment was arranged, which led to further investigation.

“The exchange took place, the warrant officer was given R5000 cash and the whistle blower was given a police docket in which he was a suspect. While members of Anti Corruption Unit  were busy searching the arrested member’s house, a receipt from a pawn shop was found,” Makheke said.

The receipt indicated that the officer had pawned a state laptop. A total of R5000 was also found in his possession.

“The state laptop was fetched from one of the pawn shops in Odendaalsrus and seized as it was stolen,” Makhele said.

The officer was arrested on charges of corruption, theft of laptop, theft of police docket and defeating the ends of justice. He was swiftly dismissed from the service of the SAPS. 

He was sentenced as follows:

• Count one : Corruption – 15 years
• Count two : Theft of laptop – 15 years
• Count three : Theft of Police case Docket – 15 years
• Count four : Defeating the ends of justice – five years                          “The sentence is a clear cut message that corruption does not pay and that as police management we will never tolerate any act of corruption within our ranks,” SAPS provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane, said. “We commend the judiciary and  thorough investigation conducted by the dedicated team to remove those who are criminals hiding behind our dignified badge.”