Attorney believes in Whitehead-Kings innocence
Bruce Whitehead-King, who was arrested after he had been found in possession of an array of firearms and ammunition last month on his farm at Uitkyk in Mbombela, declined to comment on his case.
MBOMBELA – Bruce Whitehead-King was released on R10 000 bail last week and his matter remanded to December 3, for further investigation.
Whitehead-King has to report to the Mbombela police three times a week.
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The weapons stored on his premises, in a large freight container, were allegedly not correctly licensed and stored on his property. The weapons included assault rifles, hunting rifles, an assortment of handguns, ammunition stored in military-style munition crates and “a handful” of antique or collectible firearms, according to sources close to the investigation.
It is understood that some of the weapons allegedly had dealer tags on. They apparently had permits in the man’s deceased father’s name, but it was still unclear to the police as to how and why the firearms were acquired.
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Markus Saayman of local law firm Markus Saayman Inc explained that according to their understanding the dealership license in Whitehead-King’s name is still compliant with the prevalent laws.
“My client has no previous convictions that I know of,” Saayman stressed.
Saayman stated that they are in the process of verifying all the information in their possession and that they will give their full cooperation to authorities. “The investigating officer indicated that the charges may change as the investigation progresses. Some charges may be withdrawn and others added.”
Brig Leonard Hlathi, the provincial spokesman for SAPS, previously stated that a total of 121 guns and more than 12 712 rounds of ammunition were discovered at the suspect’s home.
“Of these firearms, 109 are the subject of investigation and are not registered in Whitehead-King’s name,” he said.
According to Hlathi, police received an anonymous tip-off and commenced with an investigation in collaboration with Bossies Community Justice, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting crime in the Mbombela and Lowveld regions.
Saayman reiterated that “our own investigations so far suggest that all licenses are valid, but we will give our client enough time to recuperate and regain his strength before we finalise our investigations”.
