KAROO NEWS - Crime rundown: Graaff-Reinet & Aberdeen
The most serious case opened in Graaff-Reinet in the last week was one of attempted murder.
The incident occurred in Asherville on Monday, 31 December, at 22:40. The victim was stabbed with a sharp instrument, and due the seriousness of his injuries he was transported to Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth. As the case is of a sensitive nature, no further information may be given at this stage.
One case of culpable homicide was also opened, after an accident on 6 January on the Cradock road.
At about 11:00 a report was received that a vehicle had overturned. When the emergency services arrived, they confirmed that the driver and one passenger died at the scene of the accident. No further details of the deceased have been given.
What could have been a serious case of kidnapping on 5 January was thankfully resolved. A woman alleged that her three year old son had been playing outside of her house in Lower Location, Umasizakhe, when he was taken without her permission. The child has since been returned to his mother.
There were four cases of malicious damage to property. The first incident occurred at about midnight on 1 January, when the tyres of a vehicle parked in Mossie Street, Kronnvale, were slashed. At noon on the same day, a man was visiting a neighbour when two other vehicles arrived. The occupants of these vehicles climbed from the vehicles and broke all the windows of the friend’s house, and also damaged the man’s vehicle. The total value of the damages is about R8 800.
Another incident occurred between 19:10 on 4 January and 19:30 the next day at Aberdeen Road Camp in Graaff Reinet. The complainant keeps his cows at this grazing area, and found on his return on 5 January that some of the fencing had been damaged.
A man was seen throwing stones at the windows of a house in Angora Street, Kroonvale, when the owner returned from trip to the shops at 21:30 on 6 January. The damage caused is valued at R1 300.
Five cases of theft out of motor vehicles were opened.
On 30 December, a Samsung J5 cellphone, worth R1 000, was stolen from a car at an Engen garage, and the next day, a cellphone charger valued at R480 was taken from a delivery vehicle, also while at a filling station.
On 5 January, a vehicle standing outside a house in North Street was broken into, and a vehicle battery stolen. On the same day, a woman had left her vehicle and trailer parked in Cradock Street. When she was later ready to leave Graaff Reinet, she noticed that a box containing some of her belongings had been removed.
Another theft occurred during the night of 6 January from a car parked in Church Street. The next morning when the complainant went to her vehicle, she found that the Panasonic radio / cd player had been stolen . The value of the equipment is R3 000.
There were three separate cases of residential burglary.
The first incident took place between 21:00 and midnight on 31 December. The front door of a house in Springbok Street was forced open, and an LG plasma television with a value of R1 000 was taken.
A storeroom was forced open at a house in Murray Street on 2 January. After locking and securing the storeroom the previous day, the complainant woke to find the door had been forced open and assorted items of value had been taken.
The final incident took place at 18:00 on 4 January in Liebenberg Street. According to the owner, he left the house to attend a function, and on his return, he saw a man running from the garage. When he looked inside the garage, he discovered that electrical equipment valued at R2 000 had been taken.
A security gate was also stolen from business premises in Fabriek Street in the industrial area. This happened between 19:00 on 29 December and 07:55 on 1 January. The gate was removed from where it had been installed.
A man was assaulted in a house robbery in Kroonvale, and cash stolen. The incident took place on at 02.00 on 2 January in Du Plessis Street , Kroonvale . The complainant was asleep in his house when he woke up to find one man standing at his bedroom door and another man punching him with his fists. After assaulting the man, the two suspects grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and ran away.
An arrest was made after a man was assaulted and robbed of his cellphone in uMasiakhe on New Year’s Eve. The Incident took place at 00.30 in Jooste Street , when the complainant was approached by two men. They snatched his Samsung J1 black cellphone (worth R1 500) from him and ran away, after trying to stab him with a knife.
Aberdeen
In Aberdeen crime news, there were business burglaries at a tavern in Lotusville, and Thembalesizwe Educare Centre. When the tavern owner went past the business in Springbok Street on 1 January, he noticed that the tavern’s doors were open. When he checked up inside, he found that an undisclosed amount in cash had been taken. There was also a substantial amount of damage to his stock. There are no suspects at this stage, but police are investigating the case.
Sometime between 11 December and 7 January, there was a break-in at the Thembalesizwe Educare Centre . Several items of value, including stationery, were taken, to the value of almost R2 000.
Power tools were also taken from the garage of a house in Aberdeen sometime between 28 December and 1 January, whilst the owner was away.
Two merino sheep, worth R3 000, were found slaughtered on municipal ground between the farms Louisan and Koringdal. A case of stock theft has been opened.
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