Erratic driving leads police to stolen World Cup tickets

Friday, June 18, 2010

Pretoria - Had Kunle Benjamin not been driving erratically through the streets of Pretoria on Sunday he could have been a free man today.

Instead, Benjamin - a Nigerian national - is behind bars and will have to serve a three-year-prison sentence after he was found to be in unlawful possession of soccer World Cup tickets.

Benjamin attracted the attention of police in Sunnyside on Sunday evening because of his erratic driving and was arrested.

The police's National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) said Benjamin was behaving suspiciously so police searched him and found 30 World Cup tickets in his possession.

"The police investigating officer checked the tickets with a FIFA ticketing office and it was discovered that they were purchased by two men via the internet and that their addresses could not be verified," NATJOINTS said.

On Wednesday night, Benjamin appeared in one of the 54 courts dedicated to dealing with World Cup related crimes.

According to police, he could not give the magistrate a "satisfactory explanation" for being in possession of the tickets.

"He was convicted on a charge of possessing stolen property and sentenced to three years imprisonment without the option of a fine," NATJOINTS added.

Police say Benjamin's swift sentencing is yet another example of the effectiveness of the dedicated courts.