'Escapee' found in ceiling

2003-06-10 08:55

Mahap Msiza

Cape Town - Police detective Piet Viljoen must be a happy man following the re-arrest of a suspected killer in Cape Town on Monday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Nina Kirsten told News24 on Tuesday morning that Johannes van Rooyen was back behind bars.

Van Rooyen - accused of the murder of a Cape Town landscape architect - was found "hiding" inside the ceiling of Valkenberg Hospital's geyser room about 18:30.

Van Rooyen had been undergoing psychiatrist tests at the hospital. He was found fit to stand trial and had apparently been told so on Friday. He escaped the same day.

Earlier on Monday morning, a full-scale hunt was launched for Van Rooyen, who was thought to be on the run.

Police had even warned the public to look out for a "dark curly-haired" man, dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt.

It was believed Van Rooyen was heading for Nelspruit and may be travelling in a blue VW Golf or hitchhiking.

Viljoen, who made the initial arrest last year, led the search for Van Rooyen.

While police were running helter skelter at the weekend looking for him, the hospital's geysers were keeping Van Rooyen warm as temperatures in the city plummeted.

He had "six sheets" with him when police found him on Monday.

Van Rooyen is suspected of having killed Ian Ford - one of the Cape Town International Convention Centre's landscape architects.

Van Rooyen is now at Pollsmoor Prison and will appear in court in September to face murder charges plus an additional charge of attempted escape.

- News24