Africa-Press – Lesotho. One of the four Maseru men incarcerated for the theft of 23 goats last month is fighting to be released on bail by the Maseru Magistrate’s Court, citing ill health.
Khabo Mohato (42), of Upper Thamae, is in court answering the charge of theft together with accomplices Harebatho Khesuoe (44), Mokone Mokhako (58) and Sempa Mosotho (42).
Mohato apparently has a medical operation beneath his abdomen and had applied for bail indicating conditions in which he is living at the Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS) facility in Maseru where he is jailed aggravate his condition.
His lawyer, Advocate Lesutu, told the court that the accused has had the operation some years back, and that it had been infected while he was in the hands of the police following his arrest.
Mohato added that the wound needs to be cleaned every day and the LCS nurse who attends to him fails to do so. Lesutu further pleaded with the court that the M20 000 needed to bail out his client be exchanged for fixed assets, as the accused did not have that amount of money in cash. The Crown agreed with the arrangement.
However, the LCS male correctional nurse who has been attending to Mohato, Sister Khubelu Faso, disagrees, indicating that “the accused came to the correctional clinic with medication in hand and indicated that it he had a wound underneath his arm for a while and it seems like it has been infected even though he had no written document to clarify what he was saying.
“I asked for his medical records booklet from his family members but they failed to bring it in as soon as was needed it.
I then decided to make a new one for him as he was supposed to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital on June 8 from where he was referred to the Queen ’Mamohato Memorial Hospital and booked a July 29 appointment.
“He was given a prescription for cleaning the wound once or twice a week at the nearest clinic and the LCS nurses have been doing so.
” Faso further explained the accused’s wound history.
He said Mohato was stabbed with a knife in January 2019, and was admitted on January 14, 2019, at QMMH where he was operated on January 16 and discharged on January 21 of the same year.
He added that although Mohato had been attending his check-ups, he failed to adhere to set dates. The Crown noted that they had six witnesses lined up to testify in the case and were ready to proceed. The matter was adjourned to July 15 when the presiding magistrate, Itumeleng Letsika, will rule on the bail application.
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