Girl,aged 15 traumatised after wrongful arrest for robbery

A Lavender Hill family is demanding an apology from Steenberg police, saying cops wrongfully arrested their teen daughter and treated her like a gangster.
The girl’s grandmother says police made a big mistake after accusing the 15-year-old of a robbery.

She says the girl has been left shocked and traumatised after being picked up by cops and handcuffed to a holding cell.

The teen, who asked not to be named, says the drama unfolded at De Villiers Court on Tuesday, 10 October 2017, while she was outside with her friends.

“We were standing on the corner and there was a whole commotion down the road. There was a whole fighting thing so we went to buy Paaper and when we came back everything was finished,” she explains.

“Then we went to stand on the corner again and then the police came and picked up two guys."

“Then they came back and picked me up and told me I am going to Pollsmoor because I was involved in a robbery, so I asked them what robbery and they said at the robot.”

The girl says she was taken to Steenberg Police Station and handcuffed to the holding cell while one of the men allegedly involved in the robbery was put inside the cell.

Her family says the man is a well-known member of the Mongrels gang in the area.

The girl’s family says they were informed by residents of what had happened and rushed to the police station.

The teen was released and given a notice to appear in Wynberg Magistrates’ Court two days later and was informed that the victims of the robbery claimed she was involved.

The family says after the girl explained her story to the juvenile court, she was released and told there would be no charges.

Sergeant Angeline Grill confirms the girl’s arrest and says: “It was alleged that the minor was involved in said crime where the property of two victims were stolen. The alleged suspect was pointed out by the complainant. The minor was released into the care of her parents for an assessment by Wynberg Probation Office.”

Her grandmother says despite being released, the girl has been traumatised and has become withdrawn.

“They have made a moerse mistake. We are going to lodge a complaint. What proof do they have that she was involved?” she says.

“We are not going to leave it like this until they admit they wrongfully arrested her. She had to go write exams like that and she was humiliated and traumatised.”