Tourist rape: 2 shot in arrest

2003-12-10 16:54

Nelspruit - The Circuit Court in Nelspruit heard on Wednesday how two suspects in the abduction and rape of Briton Julie Stevens were shot when they ran from police to escape arrest.

Four men have pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including rape, robbery, abduction, attempted murder, indecent assault and murder.

Stevens, 30, and her South African friend Tinus Opperman, 26, were overpowered and abducted by four armed men during a sight-seeing trip in the Mpumalanga Lowveld.

They were allegedly driven around for about eight hours, during which Stevens was raped twice and Opperman was stabbed with a knife.

Inspector Ian van der Westhuizen of Middelburg serious and violent crimes unit told the court police arrived at a house in Kabokweni, near Nelspruit, shortly before 18:00 on November 18 last year - two days after the crime.

Two of the four suspects before court - Erick Msibi, 20, and Willie Ngwenya, 23 - were inside, he said.

The other two, Sipho Mbokane, 29, and Michael Dube, 20, were arrested two days earlier.

When the police arrived, Msibi and Ngwenya ran out of the back door, said Van der Westhuizen.

"They refused to stop, despite us shouting at them that we're from the police."

Van der Westhuizen and a police dog went after Msibi, who jumped over a fence, where the dog was unable to reach him.

Was hit four times

Van der Westhuizen said he fired four warning shots into the ground, and another four shots at Msibi when he refused to stop.

"He was about 150m from me when I shot at him," said Van der Westhuizen said. "I stopped firing when I saw him fall to the ground."

Msibi was hit is the right hand, right upper leg, right knee and the left ankle.

"I heard more shots being fired. A short while later, another policeman brought Ngwenya with him. I saw the suspect was also wounded," said Van der Westhuizen.

The wounded men were taken to the Temba hospital.

Captain Danie van Zyl, second in command of the unit, told the court police questioning the two men in hospital were directed back to the house in Kabokweni.

Isabel Ellis, for Msibi, said her client would deny running from the police. He claimed he was shot moments after emerging from the house after he saw a vehicle stop in front of the gate.

'Samaritan' shot in the head

"He will testify that he passed out and woke up in hospital. Only then did he realise he was shot three more times, presumably after he passed out," Ellis told the court.

Stevens and Opperman's ordeal came to an end on the Badplaas-Barberton road when the driver lost control of the vehicle in which they were travelling.

A Mozambican motorist, Domingo Alberto Chambal, stopped to help at the accident.

The State alleges he was shot in the head at point blank range.

The court heard on Wednesday that Ngwenya was Msibi's uncle. No explanation was given for the small age difference.

- SAPA