Can of worms opened
2010-06-04
PAARL POST may just have opened a can of worms.
In a short article last week, a resident of Paarl North told of temporarily employing a woman off the street, after she told a sob story about her badly burnt baby who was in hospital. After the woman had worked for a while she disappeared, together with the good Samaritan’s valuable rings. Since publication, Paarl Post has received a number of telephone calls from residents who seem to have had the same experience with a woman who goes by the name of Janet or Jeanette. The description of the events published were very much the same as incidents which they had experienced. All of them had suffered losses of jewellery. One specific case is that of André Smit of Wellington. “In December Janet knocked on our door looking for work. Our domestic worker was away at the time and we found her to be convincing and took her in for five days. “She did not collect her last day’s payment which seemed strange to us, but when we realised that a large amount of valuable jewellery had disappeared, we realised why.” The case was reported to the police, but Janet had disappeared without a trace. A month later, the wife of a colleague of Smit answered her door, also to a Janet. After listening to her sad story, the police were contacted, and the suspect was arrested. Janet Stovers (34) of Chicago appeared in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court in connection with theft and received a fine which was suspended for five years. She had allegedly sold the jewellery which is valued at thousands of rands for only R640. Police are now further investigating the similarities of these cases.
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