‘This is the most terrible time of my life’

Update: September 20

FAMILY of South Coast restaurant owner Leanne Douglas (45) who was found dead in her overturned, bullet-riddled vehicle on the N2 highway near Umkomaas last weekend, are desperate for answers.

Ms Douglas’s former business partner and friend, Fiellies Swanepoel, who shared the same birth date with Leanne, said her family was looking into the cost of hiring a private investigator. “We want to know why these police officers haven’t been named, if it was one of us, we would be named,” he said. “We have so many questions… and are both angry and heartsore.”

Close friends and family of Leanne will gather for a private memorial service in Durban this afternoon (Friday, September 20) at 5pm. Her life will also be remembered during the four-day Spiller’s Wharf Heritage Festival which starts tomorrow (Saturday).

Yesterday, Leanne’s mother, Leonie Luckin (72) said this was ‘the most terrible time of my life’ and added that she was determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her only daughter. Mrs Luckin said she had heard no further news and had received ‘nothing concrete’ from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) which is investigating Ms Douglas’s death.

Update: September 19

MANY questions remain unanswered following the mysterious death of South Coast restaurant owner Leanne Douglas (45) who was found dead in her overturned, bullet-riddled vehicle on the N2 highway near Umkomaas last Sunday evening.

Ms Douglas’s death is the subject of an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) investigation. According to IPID national spokesman, Moses Dlamini, a group of policemen saw a woman driving on the N2 from Port Shepstone towards Umkomaas at about 7.30pm. The police officers were in three vehicles, two of which were marked. The third was an unmarked white Golf. “The officers claim that the woman was driving recklessly and that when they tried to stop her, she sped off and a chase ensued,” he said.

“The policemen fired shots at Ms Douglas’s vehicle. She lost control of the vehicle, it overturned and she died at the scene. It is alleged that the policemen reported only the accident and concealed the fact that they had fired shots at the vehicle,” said Mr Dlamini.

However, when the vehicle was towed, the station commander noticed the bullet holes. He questioned the officers concerned who could not give a reasonable explanation for the shooting. The station commander then informed the IPID as required by Section 29(1) of the IPID Act. A docket of murder and defeating the ends of justice was opened. No arrests have yet been made.

Ms Douglas’s devastated mother, Leonie Luckin (72) gives a different account of how events unfolded on that fateful evening and is now trying to piece together what could have happened to her only daughter.

Ms Luckin said when Ms Douglas, the owner of the Red Rooster restaurant at Spiller’s Wharf in Port Shepstone, phoned her that evening she was shouting for ‘them’, allegedly the police, to stop pulling her out of her vehicle. “I don’t know where she was at the time, but I heard her say she wasn’t getting out of the car,” she said.

“Leanne was hysterical. She told me she was being chased by the police, and that she was travelling to Durban to to see me. She couldn’t talk, she was driving like mad to get away. She never mentioned anything about an unmarked police car,” added Mrs Luckin.

When she phoned her daughter back, she said Ms Douglas was ‘absolutely petrified’ and could barely talk. “The police are trying to kill me, they have been following me all the time,” were the last words Mrs Luckin heard, followed by the chilling sound of a gunshot and screams. “That was the end of it. I don’t know if she rolled the car or if she was hit by a bullet.” Ms Luckin phoned Ms Douglas’s lawyer who called her back a while later and told her that her daughter was dead.

“I have to get to the bottom of this. I have to get retribution for Leanne,” she said. “I lived for her, she was my only darling daughter, now I have nothing to live for,” she said, tearfully. “Police can’t just shoot. They also can’t just expect motorists to stop as one hears about criminals posing as policemen all the time.” According to Ms Luckin, her daughter was desperate to get away from the police as they had allegedly arrested her without a warrant a month ago.

Ms Luckin added that Ms Douglas had had an altercation with police after being charged with malicious damage to property. She apparently bumped her neighbour’s scooter and he laid a charge. The charge was dropped, but a policewoman nevertheless arrived at Ms Douglas’s house and tried to arrest her without a warrant, her mother claimed. It is alleged that the policewoman slapped Ms Douglas and forced her out of her flat, handcuffed her and took her to the Southport SAPS prison cells. Charges were again brought against her and she appeared in court several times, with the case being postponed on each occasion.

Last Thursday, Ms Douglas appeared in Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court where it is believed that the policewoman’s lawyer told her all charges would be dropped if she bought a top of the range cellphone, costing in the region of R6 000, for the policewoman. Ms Luckin said her daughter refused, as she believed this to be extortion, adding to the list of questionable practices by the officer.

Ms Luckin did not know whether this incident was linked to her daughter’s death but suggested that the police officers could have been looking for revenge.

Ms Douglas and her kitten Diesel were known to many South Coasters who visited her restaurant, and her death has come as a shock to all. Ms Luckin said a memorial service for her daughter would be held soon.

Original story: September 17

A WOMAN allegedly frantic to escape from an ‘unmarked police vehicle’ has died as her bullet-riddled vehicle rolled on the N2 near Umkomaas last Sunday. She was on her cell phone to her mother at the time, hysterically asking her what to do while being chased and shot at. “They are following me, they are trying to kill me,” were the last words the mother heard before a gunshot, a scream and then silence.

Port Shepstone restaurateur, Lee Anne Douglas, was travelling alone in her vehicle on the N2 highway from Port Shepstone heading north when an alleged ‘unmarked vehicle with a blue light’ tried to pull her over. Investigations are continuing, but Lee Anne’s tearful mother, Leoni, told the Mid South Mail that she had more questions than answers at the moment.

Earlier this year, Lee Anne, who owns the Red Rooster at Spiller’s Wharf in Port Shepstone, had an altercation with police after she was charged with malicious damage to property. She apparently bumped her neighbour’s scooter and he laid the charge. The charge was dropped, but a policewoman still arrived at her house and tried to arrest her without a warrant. It is alleged that the police woman slapped Lee Anne and she retaliated. Charges were again brought against Lee Anne. Leoni did not know whether this incident had anything to do with her shooting at Umkomaas, but felt it need investigating.

While details of the incident on Sunday night remain sketchy, it is believed other SAPS vehicles joined the chase and shots were fired at Lee Anne’s vehicle. She lost control and crashed. It remains unclear as to why the police opened fire on the vehicle instead of setting up a roadblock. A family friend said they were waiting for post mortem results to hear if Lee Anne was shot before she rolled the car. Captain Thulani Zwane from the SAPS KZN media centre said: “We can confirm that a case of murder has been opened at Umkomaas for investigation. The matter has also been referred to Independent Police Investigative Directorate.”

IPID national spokesman, Moses Dlamini, could not be reached for comment as of lunchtime today, Tuesday, September 17.