72-year-old woman assaulted during hijacking

A 72-year-old woman from Helderkruin, on the West Rand, was repeatedly assaulted when three suspects hijacked her vehicle in the driveway of her home, Roodepoort Record reports.

Since Brenda Huxan does not use her vehicle often, she took it out for a drive yesterday to prevent the battery from going flat. She returned to her house on Reynard Street at about 10.30am.

After stopping her vehicle in front of the gate, she got out to open it then got back in and drove the vehicle inside, but when she got back to the gate to close it, three men, one of whom had a pistol, came in and forced her back into the garden.

READ MORE: Two-year-old shot in attempted hijacking

According to Huxan, they started to hit and kick her. Eventually, they tore her blouse off and tied it around her neck. They told her that they would shoot her if she screamed.

The men then took her vehicle’s keys but struggled to start it. One of the suspects came back to her and assaulted her again.

As they were driving off, one shouted at Huxan that they intended to leave the vehicle in Westgate Shopping Centre’s parking lot. A friend and the neighbourhood watch went to look for the vehicle twice at the shopping centre but could not find it.

Huxan, who was badly bruised, said: “It felt like I was in a dream. I could not believe it was happening to me.”

– Caxton News Service

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