Remote jamming ‘victims’ may end up in jail
An expert said victims found to present assumptions as fact in court of law could be held liable for perjury when their assumptions proved false.
The victims of car remote signal jamming thefts are sometimes the ones arrested instead of thieves, the Hatfield City Improvement District (CID) security has claimed.
“Some motorists have been arrested for perjury,” CID Chief Operations Officer Danie Basson said in an exclusive interview with Rekord at his office on Tuesday.
Basson, who was a police officer for 17 years, said that victims often presented assumptions as fact in the court of law, which made them liable for perjury when their assumptions proved false.
“Presenting assumptions as facts under oath in the court of law leads to arrest.”
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He said the arrest of a complainant did not necessarily mean that the theft did not take place.
He said it was problematic that some victims easily assumed the crime had taken place at the location visited immediately before they became aware of the theft while it could have been anywhere.
He said if the victim claimed the crime had taken place at a particular location and the police viewed CCTV footage and found this untrue, that is a big problem for the victim.
“Victims should make it clear if they do not know the exact location of the crime to avoid being on the wrong side of the law.”
Basson said presenting assumptions as facts could cause the victim to seem like a liar trying to defraud their insurer.
He also said victims should be careful and avoid claiming, without proof that because there was no damage to the vehicle, then the criminals had used a car remote jamming devices to gain access.
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He said sometimes criminals open a rear door or the boot without the motorist noticing, then wait for the motorist walk away assuming the vehicle is locked before helping themselves.
He said motorists should avoid distractions such as a conversation with a car guard or some other helpful stranger because often criminals either worked in a group or used these opportunities.
Basson said to avoid the theft out of motor vehicles, motorists should check physically if all doors including the boot were properly locked.
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