Mother battles to have dangerous ex-husband arrested
Mother wants to know why police are not acting.
A mother (whom we shall call Sue for the sake of her safety) fears for her and her 15-year-old daughter’s (whom we name Tarryn) lives.
Sue had to get a court order against her ex-husband forbidding him to make contact with her or any of her three children, which include Tarryn. Recently though Tarryn ran away to her father, whom Sue alleged is a substance abuser who lives with other drug users and a woman who, according to her, “advertises her services on Facebook for R500 a night”. Sue also claimed the father uses drugs with his daughter.
He has various cases against him in George, Brixton, Sophiatown and Pretoria for attempted murder, domestic violence and assault. In addition he is wanted by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) for thousands in outstanding tax money. With the help of South African Search and Rescue (SASR) she was able to bring back her daughter and at the behest of the court sent Tarryn to rehab for her drug problem. When SASR members went to Florida Police Station to open a missing persons case, police allegedly were reluctant to help, according to SASR.
To make matters worse one of the men living with her father, a 30-year-old, is Tarryn’s “boyfriend”. On 7 February Sue went to Florida Police Station to open a statutory rape case against the “boyfriend” but is yet to receive a case number. Usually a complainant receives a case number within two days.
On 23 February Tarryn ran away from rehab – with her father’s help. In doing so he not only breached the court order instructing him not to contact Tarryn but he also violated the court order that instructed Tarryn to go to rehab. She was returned to rehab the same day but again ran away with an unknown man. She last was seen in Springs.
Sue told the Record she had taken two policemen (their names are known to the Record) to the father’s house but he refused to open the door, saying they needed a search warrant. The police members left and never returned. She is now concerned that the police did not arrest her ex-husband because allegedly he could be bribing them. She also said that at every attempt to get him arrested police allegedly told her they could not because the cases against him were not opened at Florida Police Station.
The Record approached Florida Police Station with the following questions:
• Why are Florida Police not acting against this man?
• Why has the woman not received a case number for the statutory rape complaint yet ?
• Why, if there is a court order prohibiting the father to come near the mother or daughter, should he not be arrested for having violated the order on more than one occasion?
• Does the fact that he took the daughter from rehab without the mother’s consent and in breach of the court order constitute kidnapping?
• Why are they telling the complainant they can not arrest him for the other cases because it was not opened at Florida Police Station? Does this mean if a person commits a crime in one precinct and then moves to another, he or she is off the hook?
According to Captain Lydia Dikolomela, Florida Police spokesperson, there is no record that Sue opened a case on 7 February, which explains why she never received a case number. Sue has witnesses though, including a member of the Roodepoort Crime Prevention Unit. Dikolomela said Sue was given incorrect information when she was told the ex-husband could not be arrested because the cases were opened elsewhere.
“All it takes is for the officer to get confirmation of the case at the relevant police station, and if it is confirmed, the suspect could be arrested,” she said.
Dikolomela also explained that if there is a restraining order against the father, he would be arrested. She asked Sue to meet with her and station commander Colonel Cassie Rautenbach the following day.
“We regard the allegations in a serious light and want to help her,” said Dikolomela.
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