The applicant was convicted in the Regional Court, Nigel, of robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition arising from a single criminal incident in March 2011. During a robbery, the complainant was shot multiple times and robbed of R27 000. The applicant was identified by eyewitnesses, linked to the firearm used, and implicated by an accomplice witness. He was sentenced to an effective 31 years’ imprisonment, as the sentences were ordered to run consecutively. His applications for leave to appeal against both conviction and sentence were refused by the trial court and, on petition, by the High Court.