Pretoria cops in naked pics scandal
2011-08-10 10:08
Pretoria - Members of the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria initially refused to lay charges of assault and indecent assault against two colleagues who allegedly took naked pictures of a detained part-time model.
Station commander of the Pretoria West police station, Colonel Sivanandan Moodley, would not confirm on Tuesday that they knew the identities of the two men who had allegedly assaulted Marina Klopppers, 23. The charges have now been referred to his police station.
"The case is now receiving the immediate attention that it deserves and we will get all the outstanding statements. If there are any merits to the case, the necessary steps will be taken against the police officials.”
Red light
Kloppers, a marketing consultant from Pretoria and her friend, Charise de Wit, 22, were driving in Mayville, Pretoria on the morning of July 21.
Kloppers, the passenger, said they hadn’t stopped at a red traffic light because they felt unsafe. They were then followed by a police vehicle.
Two police officials forced them off the road and both women were then thrown in the police van and after some hours, taken to the Laudium clinic for blood tests.
The police officials apparently forced Kloppers to undress and took pictures of her after she alleged to a nurse that the two had assaulted her.
She was then taken to the Pretoria West police cells where she fell into a diabetic coma as police apparently refused her medical treatment.
Kloppers said members of the Brooklyn police station would not take her statement on Saturday as she first had to bring all her witnesses to the police station.
Attempted murder charge
Kloppers said a constable once again refused to open a case on Monday, “because I had been arrested and had no case against the police”.
Later a senior officer became involved and charges of assault and indecent assault were laid.
However, police wouldn’t lay charges of crimen injuria and illegal arrest and detention. Police officials apparently said those were civil cases which had to be heard separately.
Delia de Vries, the legal representative for both women, said a charge of attempted murder was also being considered as Kloppers had been refused medical help and fell into a coma.
