Thembinkosi Lorch Given Suspended Three-Year Prison Sentence for Assaulting Girlfriend

• Thembinkosi Lorch has been sentenced to three years in prison for beating his girlfriend
• Lorch was found guilty in June on a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm
• The Buccaneer will not serve time behind bars as the sentence is suspended for five years

A popular footballer has been given a reprieve following his guilty verdict.

Thembinkosi Lorch appeared in the Randburg Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, December 21, to hear the sentence handed down to him.

Lorch was found guilty of Assault GBH in June for an incident where he beat his girlfriend at his home in Midrand in September 2020.

The Orlando Pirates playmaker was given a three-year prison sentence but has had the time suspended for five years. Should he not be found guilty of such a charge in that window, he will serve no time at all.

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The only immediate punishment for Lorch is a R100,000 fine, the same amount the player won twice for being voted Man of the March in the Buccaneers' Carling Knockout campaign.

As with any South Africans found guilty of a serious crime, Lorch was also declared unfit to possess a firearm under the Firearms Control Act, as per IOL.

Crime stats released by the South African Police Service in November show there were 42,297 Assault GBH cases reported in the months between July and September 2023, a 2.2% increase from the same period last year.

In Gauteng, where Lorch was arrested and found guilty, the province had 9,493 such cases in the three-month period mentioned.

After the guilty verdict in June, a combination of load-shedding and Lorch's defence attorneys' successful arguments in a sentencing hearing, he was able to play a significant role in Pirates' season so far.

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The South African government will in December launch its 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.

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Questions asked about Thembinkosi Lorch's salary

Sports Brief recently reported on Thembinkosi Lorch's earnings after they were mentioned in his sentencing hearing.

The figure puzzled social media users, given the player's status and the amount of money footballers are believed to earn.

Lorch's attorney stated that he has several dependents and that removing his salary from their lives would be problematic.