Top detective's home seized
2006-01-12 12:21
Port Elizabeth - The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has been granted a provisional order to attach the home and pension of top Port Elizabeth police detective Derrick Norsworthy, who allegedly gambled away stolen police exhibit money.
The Herald online reported on Wednesday that Norsworthy's home at 80 Eikenhof Street, Kabega Park, was valued at R480 000.
He was arrested in September 2005 for alleged theft and for gambling at The Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth with loot he and other police officers had allegedly recovered from criminals.
Staff members at the casino had allegedly noticed Norsworthy gamble with dye-stained money on more than one occasion, and reported the matter to the relevant officials.
The cash had been a police exhibit in a bank robbery case and Norsworthy, who was one of the investigators in the case, had allegedly booked it out, claiming he was sending it to be fingerprinted.
Court documents revealed that between April and August 2005, Norsworthy lost almost R73 800 while gambling at the casino.
He allegedly stole R169 000 from the police over a period of time and on the day of his arrest police confiscated R37 790 in stained bank notes in his possession and at his home.
The money was linked to a R12m First National Bank Kempston Road robbery in January 2004. The State decided to drop all charges against six suspects in the robbery, because of insufficient evidence.
The three respondents to the AFU order were Norsworthy, his former wife Jacqueline, and his present wife Renee Potgieter.
Norsworthy appeared in the Port Elizabeth magistrate's court on Tuesday. His R20 000 bail was extended.
- SAPA