Boy (11) beaten by police over lost keys – probe ordered
“I would have paid for new keys, even if I had to give her my whole salary,” the father of the child told the Advertiser.
There is to be a probe into an incident where an 11-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted by police officers at his home and school.
The incident occurred in the Dry Cut area, near Osizweni, on October 27 when the boy was asked by his teacher at Enzimeni Primary to fetch her jacket from her vehicle.
The boy returned with the teacher’s jacket and claims he left the car keys on her desk. Later that day the teacher searched for her keys but could not find them.
The teacher shouted at the child, confusing him as he insisted he left them on her table, a family friend alleged.”
The following day, the child was afraid to go to school and stayed home with his mother and aunt when later that day, two Osizweni police officers, accompanied by his teacher arrived at his house.
After the two police officers interrogated the child, he was confused and frightened. Angered, the teacher instructed the two police officers to hit the 11-year old.
First, a branch off a tree was plucked-off and was used to lash the boy’s back.
He was scared and to get them to stop beating him, the boy told the police that he would go back to the school with them and point out where he had left the keys.
The officers put him into the back of the police van and drove him to the school with the mother and aunt following on foot.
When the boy’s mother and aunt arrived at the school they could hear the child’s desperate cries coming from the restroom with his hands bound with handcuffs as the officers beat him on his head, torso and buttocks with their bare hands.
The child was taken to the nearest clinic for medical treatment of his injuries and was also given support for the emotional trauma he suffered.
Captain Nkosi of the Osizweni police station said that the case will be investigated internally and following the outcome will be referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for further investigation.
Read the full story in the Newcastle Advertiser on Page 2.
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