Honeydew tavern owner spends two nights in holding cells despite proof of valid liquor licence

Within the space of three weeks, a Honeydew family have been subjected to trauma by both criminals and those meant to protect him.

Gary Paige and his wife Cindy were robbed at gunpoint and tortured in their living room, while in a separate incident law enforcement would look to turn them into criminals. Still reeling from the robbery, Gary was arrested after a liquor licence dispute during an Okae Molao operation.

Four armed men gained access to the Paiges’ living room on the evening of March 11 and abused the couple while ransacking their home. As two of the men went through the house collecting valuables, two others would drip the embers of a melting plastic bag over the skins of the bound and gagged couple, an ordeal that would last almost two hours. The criminals left with money from the safe, laptops, jewellery and a TV which they would drop on the way out.

Since the robbery, the Paiges have struggled to get any feedback on the case, claiming to not have heard from the investigating officer since two days after the incident. As of mid-April, still no update has been given but they have been told the investigating officer had left the station. Still reeling from the frustration, despair would be compounded during an April 2 Okae Molao operation in the Honeydew precinct.

The Paiges have operated the tavern from their subdivided premises since the late nineties and their premises are visited on a weekly basis by police officers either doing routine check-ups or gathering information from the patrons. The family have become used to the police presence, but on the Saturday in question, those conducting the raid were not familiar faces, and were aggressively interrogated by who they identify as Douglasdale Station Commander Brigadier Veeshani Arikum.

After much protestation, Gary was arrested for not having a liquor licence for the tavern. Admittedly, the liquor licence was not in its prescribed frame as it had not been returned after an inspection a few days prior. In the ensuing panic, one of Gary’s sons had located the original copy of the liquor licence but when presenting the document to the brigadier overseeing the arrest, she is said to have thrown the document aside and proceeded to arrest the 62-year-old.

The tavern owner’s family followed him to Honeydew Police Station where they had hoped to resolve the matter.

This would not happen as Gary’s family were told by brigadier Arikum to leave the station as she believed that their presence was creating a danger for the officers.

Gary was then taken to Roodepoort Police Station where he would share a holding cell with over 15 other men until Monday. Expecting to appear in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court, Gary was released on Monday afternoon at roughly 15:00 without seeing a magistrate. He did not appear as the court declined to pursue any prosecution based on the information they had.

Douglasdale police were contacted for comment, but said request was redirected to the provincial spokesperson who is yet to respond. The Paiges have also sent a complaint to IPID and are yet to receive any feedback.

The ordeal is not over as the Paiges are yet to have their confiscated liquor, worth roughly R6 500, returned. Gary was present when the form documenting the confiscated liquor was completed, a form he signed but was not given a copy of as per procedure.

Honeydew Police spokesperson Balan Muthan could not comment on the robbery case nor the arrest, but said the Paiges needed to present a letter from the court authorising the return of the confiscated liquor.

The incidents have left Gary understandably shaken and deeply disillusioned at the system he obeys. Cindy, 55, who suffers from a severe medical condition has been left depressed and angry, even contemplating the rationality of continuing her medical treatment.

The liquor licence was renewed again just this week, for over the 20th time, and the couple are left wondering how many more hoops are worth jumping through.