Serial housebreaker convicted after breaking into Hawks offices in Mpumalanga

A serial housebreaker in Mpumalanga was found guilty by the Nelspruit District Court on Friday after a spate of housebreaking and theft incidents.

Daniel Wagenaar was convicted of seven counts of housebreaking and theft.

The 32-year-old was apprehended by the Hawks in Mpumalanga on 9 March after he was linked to multiple crimes scenes, including breaking into one of the offices of the Hawks.

Broke into Hawks offices

Wagenaar was sought by the Hawks after he broke into their Directorate For Priority Crime Investigation (DPIC) offices on Van Ransburg Street in Nelspruit on 9 March.

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Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said after the break in, the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) was called in to collect evidence, where they were able to get fingerprints.

“During the investigation, the suspect was positively linked to the crime scene,” said Sekgotodi.

The Hawks also found out that Wagenaar was due to appear in court on the same day he was arrested in connection to two housebreaking and theft cases he committed between July 2019 and December 2021.

The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Nelspruit went to court to obtain a warrant for his arrest and he was traced. 

He was arrested and kept in police custody until his conviction. He is scheduled for a pre-sentence report on 14 October 2022.

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