During the past two weeks, the police have had to deal with three false complaints submitted to them.
In the latest case, a 26-year-old woman from Carletonville, Ms Monica Patrick, was arrested on 29 January after telling the police that her ex-boyfriend had threatened her with a screwdriver before robbing her of her cell phone. She claimed the incident had happened on 27 January and opened a case with the police. It later emerged that Patrick had lied to the police about the alleged robbery. A case of perjury was opened against her.
In another case, a woman, Miss S. Magayiyana, was charged with defeating the administration of justice after claiming that her and her friend’s cell phones, a jacket and money were stolen in Dolomite Street on 21 January.
In the third instance, a woman claimed that she had been robbed while walking near Absa Bank.
Recently, a man from Grolman Street in Carletonville Extension 9 fraudulently claimed that he had been the victim of a house robbery. The police realised that he was lying to them, even before a case was opened. If that had not been the case, he would also have been charged. Besides wasting the po- lice’s time, which could have been put to better use, these people now risk getting a criminal record. They could end up in prison or pay a hefty fine for their deceit.
“The police are not stupid and you will be caught out,” a police officer warns.
