Police Officers Sentenced For Attempted Extortion

Bellville, Western Cape: Two police officers have been found guilty and fined R30 000 or sentenced to three years of direct imprisonment after they attempted to extort money from a complainant who they accused of engaging in an indecent act with a minor. The Bellville Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Warrant Officer Steven Jacobs and Constable Denzil Keith Abrahams after convicting them on a charge of attempted extortion.

Adv. Simon Leope told the court that on 19 April 2017, Darren Thomas was sitting in a vehicle with a 16-year-old companion just off Voortrekker Road, in Bellville, when the two officers pulled next to them. The two uniformed officers threatened to arrest Thomas for engaging in an indecent act with a minor and they demanded R4000 from him.

They searched the vehicle the two accused were sitting in, and when they were told that the complainant doesn’t have money, they took five drum microphones from the boot of the vehicle. They then took pictures of Thomas and his companion and threatened to post them on social media with allegations that they were found engaging in an indecent act unless he pays them R4000.

After failing to secure the bribe on the spot, the accused told the complainant that they are going to phone him on 25 April 2017, to arrange a meeting place for him to bring the money. Thomas reported the extortion to the police on the day he was supposed to hand over the money. The police applied and set up a trap for the accused, which was authorised and the money was handed over to the accused with instructions on how the trap would work.

The accused contacted Thomas instructed him to meet them at Leisureland Caravans in Sobukhwe Road, Bellville, for the handover of the money. After the handover was done, police stopped the vehicle the accused were travelling in, found hundred rand notes under the passenger’s seat. They showed the accused copies of the money and arrested them

The Director of Public Prosecutions Adv. Nicolette Bell welcomes the sentence, saying that it was totally unacceptable for those entrusted with fighting extortion to be the very same people who were involved in such crimes.   

Issued by:

Eric Ntabazalila

National Prosecuting Authority

Regional Communications Manager

Western Cape

Tel: (021) 487 7308Mobile: 073 062 1222

Email: entabazalila@npa.gov.za