A City of Cape Town Law Enforcement officer has been arrested for kidnapping a skelm and nearly moering him to death with a spade after the man allegedly broke into his home in New Horizons.
The 24-year-old constable was busted on Saturday afternoon, finding him covered in blood after he tried to get rid of the spade and other evidence.
It is alleged that he knocked the suspect over with his car, kidnapped him and then beat him with a moerse graaf.
Grassy Park station commander, Colonel Dawood Laing, says officers carrying out search warrants got a skrik when frantic neighbours approached them saying the officer along with his father and neighbour were “killing a man” in their backyard.
“We were busy with operations in Oystercatcher and the street was full of police,” says Laing.
“While searching a house, one of the neighbours came to say they are killing a man just three houses away. When we arrived, we found the victim covered in blood and barely conscious.
“He had been beaten with a spade and had multiple gashes on his head and face. He could hardly talk and had to be taken to hospital.”
Laing says while questioning those in the house, they were informed that a skelm had broken into the home two weeks earlier and the officer sought him out and kidnapped him.
“The victim broke into their house. At this stage it is not clear if the officer reported it.
“On Saturday, the officer went out looking for him and first drove over the victim.
“When we found his green Toyota Tazz in the yard, you could still see the blood dripping and the number plate must have been damaged.
“He then took him to his house where together these three beat him with a spade that they threw into the neighbours’ yard when the police arrived. We also found the officer covered in blood,” says Laing.
The officer, his father and the neighbour were arrested for kidnapping and assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm and are set to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Laing says a Law Enforcement officer should have known better: “The road was filled with police, he could have handed the suspect over.
“Now he is facing serious charges for taking the law into his own hands.”
City of Cape Town Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, confirms they are aware of the arrest.
“Our officers are subject to the same laws that govern every other person’s behaviour. No one is above the law,” he says.
“The matter will be investigated internally and dealt with in terms of the City’s internal disciplinary code.”