Three men, aged 35, 60 and 33, who have been arrested for housebreaking with aggravated circumstances, applied for bail in the Krugersdorp Regional Court on Friday, 14 February.
The men were charged with housebreaking, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of six live rounds of ammunition.
It is alleged that on 24 January at about 10.15am, four men broke into a house in Kenmare. They held the residents at gunpoint before making off with two TVs, three cellphones and thousands of rands worth of clothing.
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While on regular patrols at 11am, the West Rand Trio Task Team’s Dog Unit pulled over a silver Renault Sandero. One of the occupants managed to flee but the other three were arrested after the items stolen during the robbery were found in the car with them.
Through statements to the court, the three men’s legal representative explained why they believed they should be granted bail.
A statement from the investigating officer, however, shed a different light on the situation, noting the accused’s previous offences as well.
Accused number one was found guilty of housebreaking and theft, and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2012. He has been out on bail since May 2019.
He has also been arrested 23 times in the past for, among other things, armed robbery, shoplifting, assault, and housebreaking and theft in Florida, Brakpan, Krugersdorp, Randfontein and Alberton. He had not been convicted on all these charges because in some case the charges were dropped. His fingerprints were also linked to nine other cases for which he had not been arrested yet.
The second accused is currently on parole since July 2019 after being found guilty of housebreaking and theft in 2011, for which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He has been arrested more than 10 times for, among other, assault and housebreaking. He had not been convicted on all these charges because in some case the charges were dropped. His fingerprints have been linked to six cases for which he has not been arrested yet. These cases were in Krugersdorp, Littelton, Springs and Germiston.
The last of the accused was found guilty of murder in 1998 and sentenced to 45 years in prison. He has been on parole since 2012.
Some of his other 14 arrests include for housebreaking, rape, hijacking, vehicle theft, intimidation, assault, theft and murder. He had not been convicted on all these charges because in some case the charges were dropped.
The investigating officer also noted that there has been a rise in house break-ins and house robbery in the Krugersdorp area in the past few months, explaining that the community is looking to them for answers and that is why these repeat offenders should not be granted bail.
The case was postponed to later in February when the three accused will hear whether they were been granted bail.
