A WOMAN from Regents Park has accused the Moffatview SAPS of choking and punching her on March 20.
According to her, the incident occurred inside the Moffatview Police Station. She also claimed that she had to phone paramedics to assist her while she was inside a holding cell.
The incident began when the father of her children arrived at her home to hand over the children’s bank card. He then left on foot.
A few minutes later, police officers arrived at the woman’s house and asked about the car which was parked outside.
She told the officers the car belonged to her children’s father. The officers then left.
A little while later the officers returned, with the father inside the police vehicle. The children’s father jumped out of the police vehicle, entered his own vehicle and fled the scene.
“From that moment, the officers swore at me. The officers left when I asked what was happening. My son and I then drove to the Moffatview Police Station to find out what was happening. I also wanted to open a case against the officers who swore at me. But when I arrived at the police station, the officers continued to swear at me,” she said.
“When my son asked the officers why they had released his father, an altercation ensued. They wanted to attack my son. I then stood between them and that was when they started beating and choking me. I was later pushed into a cell,” said the woman.
She also revealed that she is a chronic patient who suffers from deep vein thrombosis.
The woman said she needed hospital treatment as she had begun to experience palpitations. She realised she still had her cellphone in her pocket and used it to phone the paramedics.
“The paramedics came but they were initially refused entry by the police. Ultimately, they did attend to me. The paramedics were furious at the treatment they received from the police,” she said.
The woman was later released by one of the officers at the police station so that she could go to the South Rand Hospital. Medical results showed that she suffered bruises on her upper arm, knee and inner thigh.
A senior prosecutor from the court advised her to opened a case against the police officers. Unfortunately, this did not happened as the Moffatview SAPS officers turned her away and told her that an officer, identified only as Diana, would come to take her statement. This never happened.
The Moffatview SAPS communications officer, Constable Bila, later confirmed that a case of police brutality was opened. The case was then transferred to the IPID, where it will be investigated.
