'Please give her back'

2004-07-10 22:21

Johannesburg - A Johannesburg father on Saturday night pleaded to the kidnappers of his student daughter to release her safely.

On a night when he should have been celebrating his daughter's 21st birthday, Rob Matthews was instead at the police station, talking to the media to try to get her back.

"The kidnapper was adamant that police should not be involved, but this morning when our promises were not met, we felt that further help was needed," Matthews told journalists.

Matthews said his daughter Leigh was kidnapped on Friday morning at Bond University in Sandton where she was studying a BComm Finance.

On Friday afternoon the Matthews family was contacted, told to pay a certain amount of money by Friday evening, and told not to involve the police.

Matthews said he had followed all the instructions, and now it was the kidnapper's time to play his part.

"The drop off was made 24 hours ago. In my mind the release should have taken place by now."

He pleaded with the kidnapper to "stay with the commitments made".

Matthews and his wife Sharon only involved the police on Saturday morning, when their child had still not returned.

By Saturday night the family decided also to involve the media to see whether it would help them to get their daughter back.

Matthews is an accountant, and the family lives in Fourways. He said he had no idea why his child had been targeted.

The Serious and Violent Crime Unit had taken over the investigation, said Police spokesperson Chris Wilken.

He said they did not know how the kidnapping happened, or how many people were involved. Leigh's car was found not far from the college.

"Please. Please give her back," Matthews pleaded.

- SAPA