Gran murdered for bicycle

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqv9kOSW-dgBwrkXRhEvkzY0FzaL3JM2nFcZvw3IwUzQd4vTGYeFB_bsiuqQdk1WphMxLrDvKrIg0g08Jt9JFyrtEZGlEWssD6jte_HK1UoUBbz2Z2RvFjqtu8RZxvXUUqqtrFRWy4wM/s1600-h/nancy-norton+82.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379951047820066978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqv9kOSW-dgBwrkXRhEvkzY0FzaL3JM2nFcZvw3IwUzQd4vTGYeFB_bsiuqQdk1WphMxLrDvKrIg0g08Jt9JFyrtEZGlEWssD6jte_HK1UoUBbz2Z2RvFjqtu8RZxvXUUqqtrFRWy4wM/s400/nancy-norton+82.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">A DEVASTATED Port Elizabeth pensioner told yesterday how his wife of 46 years was murdered for her bicycle in Redhouse village.</span></strong><br /><br />Nancy Norton, 82, was found half naked at 6.30pm on Monday in bushes near the Redhouse golf course.<br /><br />Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said she had been stabbed in the neck.<br /><br />Her bicycle was missing and her three loyal mixed-breed dogs were found waiting at her side.<br /><br />Speaking from his Redhouse home last night, Michael Norton, 72, said his wife had gone out on her bicycle to exercise her dogs at about 5pm.<br /><br />“I got frightened when she wasn’t home by 5.30pm because that’s the time she would normally be back.<br /><br />“I got into my car and checked around the village but I couldn’t find her.<br /><br />“Then at about 6pm, I went to Nick van Deventer, who lives in the neighbourhood, and alerted him. He went to look for her and found her body near the bushes at the edge of the village.”<br /><br />Norton added: “The dogs wouldn’t leave the body.” <br /><br />Nancy’s daughter, Lucy, said her mother, who had once backpacked in Europe, had “led an adventurous life”. <br /><br />Shocked neighbours described the murder as “heinous”.<br /><br />“I feel that thugs are targeting the elderly in this village because they can’t protect themselves,” said Debbie, who did not want to give her surname. “There are lots of old people living in this neighbourhood. That’s why all these criminals are coming here.”<br /><br />“We seriously need to do something about security in the area as this was the second attack on an elderly person in the village this year,” she said. <br /><br />Beetge said: “We have opened a case of murder. However, there are no suspects as yet. Anyone with information should contact detectives at the Swartkops police station.”<br /><br />Nancy is survived by her husband, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. </span></p>

Gran murdered for bicycle

A DEVASTATED Port Elizabeth pensioner told yesterday how his wife of 46 years was murdered for her bicycle in Redhouse village. Nancy Norton...

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Man swims away from robbers

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW91A6NiyxOrgBO4s9jstfkDBeZE-QWmv6S7pcbcmQrXr-4n2wovyU15UwAtXZqO-1vHaoGvoFuvTUplLGUQ5mhKdHjZY7kr28BXWTRnAz7luTm-KVwdX58rfIGDmyEXmof7iT6CNPf0/s1600-h/crime-beach.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380157812209180098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW91A6NiyxOrgBO4s9jstfkDBeZE-QWmv6S7pcbcmQrXr-4n2wovyU15UwAtXZqO-1vHaoGvoFuvTUplLGUQ5mhKdHjZY7kr28BXWTRnAz7luTm-KVwdX58rfIGDmyEXmof7iT6CNPf0/s400/crime-beach.bmp" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 290px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Port Elizabeth - A businessman and triathlete says he saw his life flashing before his eyes when he was attacked near the Willows resort.<br /><br />Eldon Leonard, 33, had gone to take photos of a whale carcass on Wednesday afternoon when he suddenly found himself at the mercy of four robbers.<br /><br />Keeping a cool head, he managed to free himself and swam 5km in the sea to his freedom. He has taken part in the Iron Man competition.<br /><br />Leonard - who owns Ubuntu Hygiene Cleaners - had been taking photos of the carcass because he had wanted to remove it from the rocks on behalf of the city council, due to the unbearable stench and health dangers it posed.<br /><br />While taking photos, he noticed the men walking towards him. He suddenly had an uneasy feeling about it, and phoned a colleague.<br /><br />The men grabbed him and took his phone, upon which he freed himself from their grip and fled up a dune. They followed him, grabbed him yet again, and took his car keys from his pocket.<br /><br />Leonard said: "I kept thinking, 'Here we go again', because I also experienced an armed robbery three years ago."<br /><br />Three of them waited with Leonard, while the fourth ran to fetch the car.<br /><br />They shoved him into the car and sat on top of him so that nobody could see him.<br /><br />They drove about 10km with him, to the nudist beach on Cape Recife road, and then turned off onto a small gravel road.<br /><br />While on this road, they encountered a VW Golf. They hijacked the young couple in the Golf as well, shoved them in the car, and drove to the parking area at the beach with the three victims and two cars.<br /><br />"It was there that I really got scared. They constantly threatened to shoot and kill us and made a joke about it.<br /><br />"They tied me and the other man up with shoelaces and slapped us until our ears were ringing." Leonard said the robbers then demanded that they give the PIN numbers of their bank cards, so that they could withdraw all the money in their accounts.<br /><br />Then, all of a sudden, an army helicopter happened to fly over their heads and gave the robbers a huge fright.<br /><br />That gave the three victims a chance to escape. The couple fled up a dune and Leonard jumped in the ocean and swam away.<br /><br />About 5km further, at the Main Right look-out point in Cape Recife, he climbed out of the water and ran to the main road. That's where his worried colleagues found him.<br /><br />Inspector Johan Raubenheimer of the Humewood police station said the robbers have not been caught yet, but both vehicles have been recovered.<br /><br />"If you really must go and visit that area, just make sure you're in a group of friends. The robbers check you out thoroughly, they want your money," was Raubenheimer's warning to the public.<br /></span><br />- Die Burger<br /></span><br /></p>

Man swims away from robbers

Port Elizabeth - A businessman and triathlete says he saw his life flashing before his eyes when he was attacked near the Willows resort. El...

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Minibus gang attacks Dutch student

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjR4d4WDLONAfCSX06JE_RgMRkwZMASVihJhwsnh-Dr0dlinBR6REIMAM1_B3F750NuFFV5f5jlRCRu6Cg8Fmr1gSgrBcwlUmqF6UPxwTtq2HzYeJGIVfMFMlcgkyEoSXorfQORMxL58/s1600-h/taxi-minibus.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379251683393350402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjR4d4WDLONAfCSX06JE_RgMRkwZMASVihJhwsnh-Dr0dlinBR6REIMAM1_B3F750NuFFV5f5jlRCRu6Cg8Fmr1gSgrBcwlUmqF6UPxwTtq2HzYeJGIVfMFMlcgkyEoSXorfQORMxL58/s400/taxi-minibus.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 360px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 270px" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">"I love this city, I love the people and I love the opportunities," says the Dutch student who was recently abducted, severely beaten and robbed by a taxi driver who still operates in the city despite being reported to the police.<br /><br />Adam Hijner, a 24-year-old student from The Netherlands who has lived in Cape Town since April 2007, said yesterday that his time in the country had been a "contrasting experience", with the "stunning scenery, great atmosphere and professional opportunity" being marred by "government inefficiency and a lack of general safety, social infrastructure and public amenities".<br /><br />Hijner, after months of trying to get a driver's licence appointment, has to rely on public transport.<br /><br />Last month, after boarding a minibus taxi in Sea Point Main Road, Hijner was taken against his will to an alley in Woodstock, where the taxi driver, his guard and a companion robbed him of his cellphone and R600.<br /><br />A "brutal" struggle ensued, with the taxi guard choking Hijner and a gun-wielding assailant repeatedly striking Hijner's face.<br /><br />"I was almost immediately out of breath.<br /><br />"After a few moments, I lost my strength and was pulled backwards towards the door."<br />Hijner said he experienced a "moment of clarity", as he blocked off the pain and tried to escape.<br /><br />"The driver was punching me in the face and the third guy was going through my pockets. Eventually, I used my left leg to push myself out against a bench. I fell, losing my right shoe, still being held by the guy who was pulling my leg."<br /><br />Head bleeding, face swollen, he staggered to a nearby home as the taxi sped off.<br /><br />Hijner said he remembered the taxi's licence plate number and included it when laying a charge at the Cape Town Central police station.<br /><br />Last week, Hijner boarded another taxi in the same area.<br /><br />After recounting his ordeal, he said the taxi driver also knew of the gang.<br /><br />"I was shocked to hear the licence plate number, (the driver said) the same three guys had previously raped a girl, and two months ago they had assaulted and robbed another guy, (before) running him over."<br /><br />After more than a month, Hijner said he had seen the taxi and his attackers "at least six times", operating on the same route.<br /><br />After repeated SMS messages to the investigating officer, Hijner has yet to get a reply.<br /><br />Police could not comment by the time of going to press. </span></p><p></p><p></p>

Minibus gang attacks Dutch student

"I love this city, I love the people and I love the opportunities," says the Dutch student who was recently abducted, severely bea...

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