A 21-year-old man of Bodibeng settlement was recently arraigned before Maun Magistrate Court for allegedly threatening to kill his mother after she refused to lend him her car.
The court heard that on November. 15th at Bodibeng, Ronny Tshekelo had a misunderstanding with his mother after she refused with the car keys he had demanded from her. He then tried to forcefully take them from her but she escaped with the keys and locked herself in the house.
It is alleged that Tshekelo, who was in possession of a knife, threatened his mother by uttering the words, “If you come out of that house, I will kill you!” before he proceeded to puncture the car’s two tyres with the same knife.
Pleading with the court to remand Tshekelo in custody, Investigating Officer Lazarus Kenosi Thari revealed that during his ongoing investigations he was informed that Tshekelo has a mental problem but police needed psychiatric evaluation to confirm such allegations.
“According to the witnesses, he was very aggressive. We received information that he has a mental problem and we are to confirm through a psychiatric evaluation,” said Thari, adding that the young man should be remanded as his mother and siblings were still shaken by what transpired on that day.
Defending his freedom, Tshekelo told the court that if at all the prosecution feared he could harm his mother and siblings, he could relocate to Tsabong to live with his father or alternatively to Gaborone to stay at his aunt’s place.
“My aunt called me worried. She cried when I told her that my own mother had me arrested by the police after we agreed that she will lend me a car. I even fuelled it the night before because I wanted to go to the cattlepost. I am only pleading for bail,” said Tshekelo.
He was out of luck, however, as court decided to remand Tshekelo in custody until November 30th. The state has been given until then to evaluate him.