MBOMBELA – Mr Derek Poole was arrested in Durban on Monday (yesterday).Police at Point Station confirmed to Lowvelder that Poole had been taken into custody. According to the police he was arrested for failing to appear in court in Midrand, Gauteng, where he is facing charges of fraud.
This newspaper has been reporting on Poole since last year when he was arrested in the Kruger National Park for alleged fraud in Hazyview. Aside from the charges in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court he also faces fraud and assault charges in Mbombela.
When Poole missed his last court appearances in these courts, of which the last one was in August, warrants for his arrest were issued. He recently resurfaced in KwaZulu-Natal.
A business owner in Pietermaritzburg has laid a complaint of fraud against Poole with the Cramond police. On August 13 she wrote on the customer complaint website HelloPeter.com about her encounter with Poole. In the review titled “Beware – bad attitude, no delivery” she complains that as the person responsible for Trade ZA, Poole designed a website for the lodge which was not to their specifications, and invoiced them for website services they did not order.
She told Lowvelder that he had stayed with them before and had always paid but on the Saturday in July when he allegedly tried to leave the lodge without paying, things got ugly. “They said they were going to town. I said they couldn’t leave without paying. I stood between him and the exit and he started driving off. I yelled to my husband to phone the police. Then he got out of the car and pushed me.”
The police arrived but she decided to give him another chance to pay. She says they are owed about R10 000 for the three-week stay for two people, breakfast included. They also paid about R2 000 for the phone they initially got but returned to Poole for repairs.
Lat week before his arrest Poole could not be reached for comment on his last known cellular number. Point police says Poole is to remain in custody while the investigator from Gauteng travels down to collect the suspect.
Read more here.
