Mitchells Plain church dief jailed for 3 years

It took just over a month for a skelm to learn that there’s no getting away when breaking in and stealing from the house of the Lord.

Fagan Philander, was sentenced to three years behind bars in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court, after he was found guilty of robbing the Verenigde Gereformeerde Kerk in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain in early January.

A few hours after the burglary, the 33-year-old was caught by the City Of Cape Town’s Metro Police in possession of stolen mics, a laptop, receivers and remote controls.

The kerk’s chairperson, Leah Hendricks, said at the time, she immediately started praying when she discovered that they’ve been burgled.

“When I went inside I saw pieces of the roof lying on the floor, the burglar bars had been bent and the lock broken,” she explained.

“You want to know what I did? I started to pray, I prayed that God would intervene and He did.”

Hendricks said just as she prayed for the skelm that day, she will continue praying for him as he starts his journey tussen die vier hoeke.

“Every day we pray for those in prison, so now he will be one of those who we pray for.

“Yes, I know that it is for a short time, but at least he will be paying for his sin.”

During his sentencing, the magistrate noted that Philander lied numerous times about his identity by using different names.

When his real name was discovered, a long list of pending cases also popped up.

The magistrate referred to the skelm as a danger to the community and sentenced him to three years in the mang.

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