Man behind bars for stealing car at Durban court parking lot
The Durban Magistrate’s Court has handed a man seven years in jail time for the theft of a vehicle on the court premises.
Wayne van Niekerk was nabbed by the police in December last year driving out of the parking lot.
The owner of the vehicle was at the court for an unrelated matter when he spotted Van Niekerk open the car door and drive towards the exit.
NPA KZN spokesperson Natasha Kara says that is when the owner alerted two officers who managed to stop the car before reaching the main gate.
"In aggravation of sentence, Moodley told the court that, Van Niekerk’s actions were pre-planned and well thought-out. He had committed the offence on the doorstep of the Durban Magistrates Court, a place where the law is supposed to be upheld and enforced, thus demonstrating his lack of regard for the rule of law and law enforcement."
Kara said a modified Allen key was found in the ignition.
"Van Niekerk’s version was that someone known to the complainant promised to pay him R3000 to steal the vehicle and abandon it in the Inanda area. This person also provided him with the Allen key that was found in his possession," Kara said.
Van Niekerk was sentenced and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
