GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - There were two cases of rape reported in the week from 10 September to 17 September in the Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen policing districts.
The first incident took place in Aberdeen, between 21:00 and 22:00 on Saturday 15 September. According to the victim, she was asleep in her home and woke up, realising that there was someone with her in her bed. Before the suspect covered her face and had intercourse with her, the 40 year old woman saw his face and recognised him as her neighbour. The suspect has been arrested and will appear in court.
During that same night, a 23-year-old woman was raped in Umasizakhe, Graaff-Reinet. The victim reported that she was at a popular tavern in Umasizakhe with a friend where they had consumed liquor, and admitted to having had too much to drink. Her friend saw her leaving the tavern with a man, known to her. The victim does not know how she ended up at the alleged suspect’s residence. She later woke up, naked, at the man’s house, found him lying naked next to her, and instinctively knew he had had intercourse with her. This case is under investigation, and no arrests have yet been made.
A 37-year-old man from Aberdeen committed suicide on 10 September by hanging himself from a tree. The incident took place on at about 21:35, and his body was found in an open field in the Lotusville area. The man left a suicide letter behind.
There were two other cases of note opened in Aberdeen, both of which are still under investigation, with no known suspects.
On 10 September, the complainant and his wife left their car in Porter Street at 20:00 and went for dinner. When they returned to the vehicle at about 23:00, they found that the left hand side window of the vehicle was broken and a compressor, knives, and groceries, to the value of R5 794, were missing. A case of theft out of a motor vehicle has been opened.
The other case was a residential burglary, which happened on 13 September between 07:30 and 17:30 in Lotusville. The complainant allegedly left her home in the morning, and when she returned at 17:00, she found a window broken. Groceries, clothing and toiletries to the value of R1800 had been taken.
The remaining cases were all opened in the Graaff-Reinet policing district.
There were four cases of theft out of a motor vehicle during this period, all in the Horseshoe area.
The first appears to have been an opportunistic crime in Donkin Street. A woman was unloading groceries from the boot of her car at 13:30, and left the boot open when she took one load inside the house. When she got back to the car, she found the other groceries missing. The value of the stolen groceries is estimated at R1 700.
In the second incident, a man parked his car in front of Gem Garage in Church Street at 19:00 on 14 September. When he came back, he found that cash, as well as a torch, had been stolen out of the vehicle. The value amounts to R1 000.
The next incident took place in Caledon Street, on 15 September at about 10:00. According to the complainant, he parked his vehicle in front of Shoprite and went inside the shop. When he came back, he noticed that the shopping bags that had been inside his vehicle were not there anymore. The value of the stolen items is about R600.
A car battery was stolen from a car parked overnight in West Street, sometime between 21:00 on 16 September and 06:00 the next day. The value of the battery is R1 800.
Three cases were opened of robbery with a weapon other than a firearm.
A 14-year-old girl and her friend were on their way to school for extra classes on 4 August when two unknown men approached them on the “Makweta” Road (the road connecting Kroonvale and Umasizakhe) at about 09:35. One of the suspects had a knife, and robbed the victim of her tablet valued at R1 000. One suspect, aged 28 years, has been arrested, and the case is still under investigation.
The second incident took place on 14 September at 21:00 in Merino Street. The victim (36) was grabbed by four unknown males who had knives, and they robbed him of his cellphone, valued at R1 000.
A knife was also the weapon used to threaten a man in Umasizakhe at midnight on 14 September. He was robbed of his cellphone, valued at R350.
There was one case of malicious damage to property. This occurred on 13 September at about 19:30 in Middle Street. According to the complainant, the suspect damaged her trailer which was standing on the pavement in front of her house. The suspect bumped into the trailer with her vehicle, and the trailer moved, and then hit the steel fence around the house. The estimated value of the damage is R40 000. The suspect has not yet been arrested.
There were two residential burglaries, with no known suspects as yet in either case.
The first took place between 20:00 on 10 September and 11:00 on 11 September at Chris Hani Village. According to the complainant, the security door was forced open to gain entrance to the house. An amplifier to the value of R1 000 was stolen.
The second incident took place in President Street between 20:00 on 15 September and 08:00 the next day. The complainant reported that his house had been broken into and a Sansui television, Panasonic sound system, sneakers and toiletries were stolen. The value of the goods amounts to R6 628.
Yet more property was stolen in three cases of theft.
At about 21:40 on 6 September, the complainant was at a tavern in Santaville, and during this time someone went to his bedroom and took an amount of R47 000 out of a drawer in his room.
The second theft occurred on the farm Normande on 12 September at about 14:30. According to the complainant, she took off her rings (valued at R33 600) and placed them on her desk, and at a later stage she found that they were not where she had left them.
One suspect has been arrested for the theft of a television set worth R4 500 from a house in Asherville. The incident took place on 16 September between 10:00 and 12:00. The owner stated that he went out, and on his return found that the television had been stolen. The arrested suspect will appear in court.
The suspects are also known, but not yet arrested, in a case of house robbery.
This happened in Santaville on 16 September, between 05:00 and 06:00. According to the complainant, two suspects forced open the door while he was inside sleeping. He felt someone searching him when he woke up, and they took cash, cell phones and jewellery to the value of R1 500. The case is still under investigation.
The final two cases are of stock theft. The first occurred at Doornberg, Nieu-Bethesda, on 14 September at about 01:39. According to the complainant, two merino ewes, worth R5 000, were slaughtered by unknown suspect/s.
The second incident took place between 15 September (08:30) and 16 September (08:30) at Wolwas. The complainant reported that two Savannah goats were stolen and slaughtered. The value of the goats is R6 000.
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