Cross dressing crook nabbed at Sandown

A MAN is now behind bars after he allegedly assaulted and held an elderly woman captive in her home in Sandown Village in Padfield Park on Sunday 28 July while wearing some of the woman’s clothing.

According to Constable Lungile Mbatha of the Pinetown SAPS, the woman heard a noise in her bedroom and on inspection saw a man dressed in her tracksuit pants and coat.

She confronted the intruder and demanded that he remove her clothes and leave her house. The man allegedly attacked her, taking money from her wallet. The victim reported that the man tried to throttle her.

After taking the woman’s money the man allegedly told the woman that he couldn’t leave as he was hiding, but did not specify why or from whom, reported Cst Mbatha.

“The woman then bargained with the man and told him that if he did not hurt her she would help him escape,” said Cst Mbatha.

At that point the intruder also put on one of the woman’s hats to improve his disguise and they left the woman’s house in her vehicle.

Mike Roberts, the estate manager, who was at the station when the woman made her statement also reported that the guard at the gate recognised the suspect as he and the woman drove out in her car. “He hit on the car as it drove out, trying to stop it,” added Roberts.

“The guard initially spotted him in the village. The man came walking up to the gate from inside the village and tried to exit the village, but our guard stopped him and questioned him.

The man told our guard that he had been working inside at one of the cottages, and when the guard wanted to know the number of the cottage so that he could confirm the mans story the man ran back into the village,” said Roberts.

The guard then reported the incident to Roberts.

A member from the New Germany Neighbourhood watch who was on the scene claimed the man had been involved in a mugging along with another man on Field’s Hill on Sunday morning.

“The SAPS caught the other guy and the suspect from Sandown Village ran down the railway lines. We then received a report that he was hiding on Tracy Watts Road.

”From there he property hopped to Sandown Village. We had the area shut down and were about to leave the area when we heard the guard at the gate shout as a vehicle drove out of the village.

”We then surrounded the vehicle and the elderly woman, who drove the car hit the brakes on the vehicle. My partner arrested the man as he attempted to flee,” said the New Germany neighbourhood watch member, who wished to remain anonymous.

The accused has been charged and is currently in custody. He is scheduled to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s court on Tuesday 30 July.