Hillcrest police arrested a 20-year-old man for defeating the ends of justice and perjury. It is alleged that on 23 April 2014, he made a false statement under oath after claiming that he was hijacked and robbed of his vehicle by police officers.
The suspect claimed that he was driving with his friend along Kassier Road in Hillcrest when the saw blue lights flashing after which they were instructed by police officers to stop. He claimed he was stopped by six police officers who were in uniform and travelling in a marked police vehicle. He also alleged that the police officers robbed him of his VW Golf, cash, wristwatch, cellphone and a jacket. The following day he reported the incident to Hillcrest police. Detectives were immediately assembled to investigate these very serious allegations.
After a thorough investigation police established that both the suspect and his witness lied about the events of the evening. It was established that on 23 April 2014 at 22:00, the suspect was driving along Kassier Road with his friend when the Durban Metro Police instructed him to stop. He sped off because he had unpaid traffic fines and later abandoned his vehicle near a bush in Hillcrest. His vehicle was impounded and was in the safe custody of Metro Police. He was then arrested and charged for defeating the ends of justice and perjury. He will be appearing in the Pinetown Magistrates’ Court later today.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni was saddened by the incident. “We cannot allow people to drag the name of the SAPS in the mud to fulfil their criminal deeds. Our job is to serve and protect the citizens of the country. It is disturbing that people will open false cases and implicate police in crimes that did not occur,” she said.