House arrest for selling pilot licence exams
August 18 2000 at 07:40PM
Boyd Webb
A man who sold pilot licence exam papers to students will be spending the next three years under house arrest.
The only glimmer of freedom to be experienced by Eersterus resident Harry Brandon Harris, 27, is when he is forced to carry out his 16 hours of community service this weekend.
In passing sentence, magistrate Bill Moyses also allowed Harris to attend his Rhema Church Service on Sundays between 8am and 4pm.
Harris was sentenced on Friday in the Commercial Crimes Court after being found guilty of selling Civil Aviation exam papers to students.
The court heard how Harris abused his position as administration clerk to get the papers from the computer in which they were stored between 1996 and 1998.
Harris was arrested on July 28 by police and accused of being involved in the Civil Aviation Authority licensing scam. He was later granted bail of R5 000 after pleading guilty to the charges.
He was one of eight people, including CAA boss Trevor Abrahams, who faced charges of corruption, defeating the ends of justice and possible charges in terms of the Civil Aviation Act.
Another of the suspects, SAA employee Isaac Nombu, is alleged to have bought an exam paper for
R7 500 from Harris shortly before sitting his exam.
Magistrate Moyses also sentenced Harris to five years' imprisonment suspended for six years and ordered him to pay a R20 000 fine or spend a year in prison.
Lifted from IOL