Five suspects arrested for allegedly attacking joggers in North Riding have had their case struck off the roll pending further investigations, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Recently a video in which one of the joggers (Debbie O’Mahony) spoke about the incident went viral on social media as she talked about her disappointment on hearing that her attackers had been released. The incident took place early in the morning of 30 November, when O’Mahony and a friend were jogging in the North Riding area.
“We went jogging at about 5.30am and were about 3km into our jog,” O’Mahony told the Fourways Review. “A dark grey BMW drove past us and stopped with four men inside it, and I thought they were going to ask for directions or something.
“The back doors opened and two men got out of the car wearing balaclavas. One was holding a gun, and the second was holding a knobkierie-type object [a wooden club]. We dropped what we had on us and they also patted us down to see if we had anything else. All I lost was my pepper spray.
“After they got us, they went for another jogger who was about 200m in front of us, and then went for the guy in front of her.”
O’Mahony reported the incident to Douglasdale Police Station police officers, who kept her abreast of their investigations over the days following the incident. “On Sunday [1 December] the investigator called me to say that five suspects had been arrested – the four men that had been in the car, and the owner of the car, who was apparently one of the other men’s older brothers.”
Brigadier Mathapelo Peters, the provincial spokesperson for the South African Police Service, confirmed the arrests to the Fourways Review.
“Five suspects aged between 16 and 18 were arrested over the weekend [30 November and 1 December] by Douglasdale SAPS and appeared on 2 December in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court,” she said in a statement released in response to queries. “Charges were armed robbery, possession of suspected stolen property and possession of a dangerous weapon.”
She did not confirm if any of the suspects were indeed related, and referred all questions regarding the outcome of the court proceedings on 2 December to the NPA, who is in charge of prosecuting crimes on behalf of the state.
When contacted for comment, NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane gave a very brief statement, “The matter was not placed on the roll, pending further investigations.”
She did not immediately respond to questions from the Fourways Review as to what exactly this meant, what investigations still needed to be done or where exactly the five suspects are now.
O’Mahony is under the impression that the men have been released, something that makes her angry. “I’m so angry that there is no fairness and justice,” she said. “And I need to say that I’m not angry on my own behalf – all I lost was some pepper spray. I’m angry on behalf of the other people who were targeted and lost their possessions.”
The Fourways Review will update this article as soon as the NPA gives further comment.
Related Article:
https://www.citizen.co.za/fourways-review/162087/public-meeting-over-northriding-school/
