A 38-year-old woman from Somerset West has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after defrauding an elderly couple of over R94 000.
A 38-year-old woman from Firgrove in Somerset West has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding an elderly couple of over R94 000.
Abigail Jooste manipulated the couple into trusting her with their confidential banking information, leading to her conviction on multiple counts of fraud and money laundering in the Plettenberg Bay Regional Court, according to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.
The court convicted Jooste on 94 counts of fraud and 30 counts of money laundering after she pleaded guilty under Section 112(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act on February 19, 2026.
The court consolidated all charges and sentenced her to an effective 10 years' direct imprisonment. The court also declared her unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103(1) of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.
