A YOUNG Franschhoek man who held a terrified elderly resident hostage earlier this year, has blamed his actions on hunger.
Darryl Kriel (24) pleaded guilty to charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping after holding up Peter Frank (70) in his house in Roux Street in February.
According to Kriel’s submission to the Paarl regional court by his lawyer, Pieter du Toit, he had been camping in the back yard of an empty house in Franschhoek, but was evicted by the owner when he was discovered.
He subsequently lost his job as waiter, and all his belongings were stolen.
After he had not eaten or slept for four days, he jumped over the wall of the Frank’s property in search of food and money.
He held Mr Frank up with a toy pistol and demanded money. Frank’s wife Cornelia fled and alerted the police.
He held Mr Frank hostage from 16:00 until 21:40 that night for fear that he might be shot by the police who had surrounded the house and tried to negotiate with him.
Eventually a special police task team entered the house and arrested him.
Magistrate Patrick Ross convicted Kriel and the case was postponed to 12 July to await a report from correctional services and possibly a report on the effects of food deprivation.
) A Paarl man who was convicted of raping a young boy, has lost his appeal against his sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Simon Manqola (49) was sentenced in the Paarl Regional Court for sodomising a 14-year-old mentally retarded boy in 2008 in the presence of the boy’s six-year-old sister.
He was thereafter publicly beaten and humiliated by members of the community.
The sentence has been ratified by Judge Patricia Goliath and Acting Judge Sven Olivier in the Supreme Court.
