WATCH VIDEO: An 11-year-old allegedly assaulted by security guard
“My daughter’s face and neck were swollen.”
An 11-year-old girl is afraid to go outside after she was allegedly slapped in the face by a security guard in the east of Pretoria.
Janine Perfect, who lives in La Cotra residential complex, Elardus Park, said she was sitting on the porch watching her daughter and friends play when the complex security guard approached them.
Perfect said a resident had apparently complained the girls were noisy.
“The guard asked the girls if they could keep it down, and they did. But girls always giggle when they play.”
Perfect said another group of girls were playing in the alley between the two buildings and their laughter echoed through the whole complex.
“It is not supposed to be a problem for anyone if a child is happy and playing outside with friends. Nowadays it is a rare thing to find.”
She said after the security guard received another complaint he went back and yelled at the children to “shut up”.
Perfect said he grabbed two of her daughter’s friends by their wrists and shouted at them to “go away”.
“He then pointed his finger in my daughter’s face. She hit his hand away to protect herself and to explain that it was not them [making the noise], but it didn’t help.”
Perfect said the action aggravated the security guard and he allegedly slapped her daughter.
“My daughter’s face and neck were swollen.”
“I asked some of the residents if they would take a photo of my daughter’s face with their phones because my phone was in for repairs.”
Perfect said no-one wanted to take the photos so she called the police.
She said the police advised against her laying a charge, saying it would be very traumatic for her child to appear in court.
She said the police officer told her she should her rather get a protection order.
Perfect said she called La Cotra’s body corporate to complain, but no one responded.
“When I spoke to the caretaker of the complex, he told me he did not believe my story and I should do whatever I wanted to.”
After weeks of having the case registered with the South African Police Service, Perfect finally received a case number at the weekend.
Rekord contacted La Cotra caretaker André Barac, who said he had no comment and ended the call.
No comment was received from Lyttelton police at the time of going to print.
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