Constable accused of stealing colleague’s firearm
A police constable attached to the Tactical Response Team in Khayelitsha, accused of stealing a colleague’s service firearm and then demanding money for it, appeared in court in Cape Town on Thursday.
Derick October, 34, his address given as the police barracks at Somerset West, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
He was warned to appear in court again on July 8, after consulting his lawyer, Liesl Vermaak.
According to the charge sheet, October and a colleague, Sergeant Avron Zeegers, were patrol partners.
Zeegers, after completing a shift in October, 2014, drove to October in the Strand, where he handed the patrol vehicle to October.
On the way to the Strand, Zeegers placed his service firearm in the driver’s side-panel of the vehicle – and forgot it there.
October then dropped Zeegers off at a night spot, and continued on his way, with Zeegers’ pistol still in the side-panel.
Zeegers soon realised his oversight and tried without success to contact October.
The next day October denied knowledge of the pistol, but later sent Zeegers an SMS that he in fact knew where it was.
Prosecutor Xolile Jonas alleged that October informed Zeegers that the person who had the firearm wanted R5,000 for it.
Zeegers refused to pay and reported the matter to Crime Intelligence.
It is alleged that October refused to co-operate when questioned by senior police officials, but offered to fetch the firearm himself, if allowed to do so alone, without any police presence – which was refused.
According to court papers, the firearm was eventually recovered, but only after children had picked it up and one of them had accidentally shot another dead.
October is now charged with the theft of the firearm.
He also faces a charge of corruption, relating to the alleged request for R5,000, and another of defeating the administration of justice, relating to his alleged refusal to inform the police where the firearm was.