Robbery at 111 Hilton Road

Gunshot update: Steff Dembo writes:"Being at the highest point of residence in Linbro, I heard the gunshots loud and clear.

"I had just gotten into bed and switched off the light ...  it was 12.20am. There were a total of 18 shots all in all ... I counted them. It sounded more like they were coming from Lakeside area of Modderfontein, or else from the Douglas Road area [but I think more like Modderfontein, as I have heard them like this a few times before].

"Never heard the 8pm shots at all, and certainly not the 11pm ones, even though I was still up and about at that hour ... quietly working on my computer.Hope this offers some help to resolve ..."

 

STEFF
Update: I got home to my wife Karen some time after 9. She had heard gunshots, but could not confirm their direction or origin. Melody and Owen Williams heard gunshots around 11pm from the northern end of Linbro. Thursday morning, Mario Cremonte confirmed the gunshots - at least eight of them.

Owen and Melody could not have prevented the attack on 111 Hilton, as it occurred so early (around 7pm). Secondly, these guys move like lightning and had Shadrack inside in seconds. All would have appeared normal. As Melody says, there are funny things happening at night.

Update from Silke Kaiser, a trained criminologist, who was there:

(Note, totally unedited, as Silke sent it)

Hi all

An armed robbery occurred at Byerley Stables tonight -  but thanks to a pit bull and to a quick thinking tenant (and owner of the pit bull) no-one was hurt and they only got away with two Blackberries and a Samsung.  Of course that is far too much, but they would have managed to achieve a lot more if they had not been thwarted.

At about 8pm, the guard walked up the driveway of Byerley Park to get the feeding bowls for the horses.  He was accosted by four men who walked through the open gate - the guard had left the gate open as he was waiting for two more employees to arrive.   One of the men held a gun and all spoke Zulu.  (the same as the ones who raped our lady in Clulee Road - but I do not think its the same gang as their MO is a bit different.)

They asked the guard for his panic button, which they removed.  He told them it is a remote for the gate.   They then told him that they want money, which he said he does not have, as he sends his money home.   They then told him to take them to his room, which he did.   By this stage they had tied his hands together.  His wife was in their room and they tied her up also.   They threatened to rape her if they were not given money - this is very typical in an armed robbery as it is a means to control the victims.     They then left the two of them tied up.

In the meantime, Darryl and Karen, a couple who live on Joan's property in one of her cottages,  were at home.   Karen had just let out their very young (but large) pit bull into the back garden to do his business.   Once he was finished, she walked back in, (with the dog)  and sat down in the lounge.   The back door leads off the bedroom, and she did  not realise that she had been followed in. by an armed man.    Lincoln (the pit bull)  did realise though, and he immediately attacked the guy who was holding a gun.    He fell to his knees, and in that second, Darryl realised what was happening, and jumped up and pushed a cupboard in front of the guy, who started pushing back.   The man then decided the better of it, and fled, taking the two Blackberries (bought brand new on Friday) and a Samsung phone.

It is suspected that this is an inside job, even though Darryl did tell me that about three days ago, he heard people at his wall (Byerley is right next to Pharouh's new place at 110 Hilton) and that it is evident that some people had been there as the grass is flattened.   I do know however, that Pharouh runs an extremely tight ship, and that if he even suspected anyone, he would report it immediately.

Off the topic, I am in total awe of the pit bull.   Anyone who tells me that dogs do not get it, and anyone who uses animals only to make money, does not get it.        The pit bull sees grooms every single day of his life, and does not show any of them aggression, how did he know within one milli second that this man meant harm?    It could not be the body language from his owners, as they were not aware of anything until the dog had brought the guy down to his knees.   That dog deserves a purple heart award.    When I got there the dog was locked up, but was like putty in my hands, a very soft and gentle animal. 

In my armed robbery, my dogs also immediatley knew that the guys meant me harm, and when the one guy brought a towel and a dish cloth to my bed, and then asked me if I was scared of being raped, his answer was one dog bite, from the dog who I got from the SPCA, who is terrified of any overhead shadows.  That dog just knew.

I am going to contact the captain tomorrow for the rape case, as I said I would contact her on 7th April, and I will also follow up this case with the police.

Even though this does not lessen the trauma for those involved, thank G-d that no-one was raped, or shot, and also that the dog was not shot.  

Whew.  What a night. 

Silke  - gonna kiss all my dogs now  - no tongue  :)

At about 7pm four Zulu-speaking men, at least one armed with a pistol, gained access to Byerley Park Stables at 111 Hilton Road. They first held up the night guard, Shadrack, tied him up and gagged him, and forced him to take them to his room at the back. They took his cellphone and demanded cash or they would rape his wife. He had no cash of note as he repatriates his earnings.

They knew what they were doing and gained access to one of the main properties, where six young folk were watching TV. They quietly forced a back door, which seemed to have been left unlocked, indicating it could have been an inside job.

As the gun came around a corner, preceding the robber, one young man, Darrel (spelling presumed), acted quickly and pulled down a cupboard, blocking access. Their young pitbull, Lincoln, leapt at the men, who fled, taking cellphones and cash.

This is the mess caused by the cupboard crashing down: it probably saved them from a far worse fate:

SAPS was there in five minutes, ADT in 10, and Silke and Theo de Groot arrived within minutes of me. Everyone traumatised, but OK. The four men are on the run and the Flying Squad are hunting for them.

Lessons:

* It seems to be an inside job
* These men had clearly been monitoring Byerley Park's movements for a long time - they knew exactly what they wanted
* There is much long grass at the back: I have made my gardener William available to clear it starting tomorrow
* It was the first such attack in three decades at 111 Hilton Road
* Despite the fact that the place is so busy and has high levels of traffic, these guys got in undetected

I will update as news becomes available.

I need content, please

Hi all

As you can see, tons on my mind, so I'm up early. Will try and get some sleep, otherwise I will be a zombie.

If my blog has served *one* purpose, it is to apply unrelenting pressure on authorities to do the right thing. No names right now, no packdrill, but there is absolutely no doubt that the visibility of our issues is leading to enhanced service delivery.

A particular person with an interest in our neighbourhood would have decked me yesterday, if he could have. He had to be pulled/pushed away from me.

As I wear glasses, and I know the law, I do not fight. This person had no such compunctions. He knows who he is.

But within 48 hours of my posting some pictures on the blog, I had resolution.

The blog is now your window to the world. It has critical mass. It has gone over the inflection point, and now draws tons of traffic locally and from around the world.

Tell me everything that ails you. Send me pics. Show me your damaged roads. Your dumping. The filth at the entrance at Marlboro.

Send me pics of your dogs, your cats, your pigeons, your children, your owls.

Everyone is interested.

This is not Frank's blog. I have another one for that. It is your blog. It is a free online newspaper, with thousands and thousands of people around the world following us.

If I leave one legacy for Linbro, this is it, and please use it.

There are no restrictions, save my time and my news filtering capability. And seeing I was Journalist of the Year two decades ago, that is reasonable.

I am building some truly wonderful things here in Linbro Park, and the world will know all about them in time, but suffice it to say, it all began with the blog.

So let's going, folks! We have our own online newspaper. I need content!

Cheers

Frank

Innovative beggar

Darren Bergman

Darren and I shared two interesting hours in the 93.8FM studio in Midrand last night, from 9 to 11. We had a good time, laughed a lot, and shared some common insights re Linbro.

One of the great lines from Darren was that LPians are smurfs, "because we argue until we are blue in the face".

Darren also revealed that the ANC ward candidate is no more and is being replaced. This is not confirmed, and cannot be confirmed as the ANC is completely unreachable.

Darren is available on every possible communication channel. The ANC cannot be reached at all, and we are trying.

Darren has a clear strategy for Linbro Park. He is working on crime roads, and more.

These should be input factors come 18 May.

An organisation that seems to be worth joining

 Thanks to Michael Payne for providing details.

www.turnitaround.co.za

No one else if going to fix it for us

The biggest common enemy of South Africa is crime and corruption.
We cannot expect this problem to be solved by a government that is failing in all areas of service delivery. Citizens need to take action.

So we can choose to sit back and complain as crime destroys our country ...

Or we can choose to become proactive and take the fight to the streets by getting involved in our local communities. Become your neighbour's safety zone and he will become yours.

Dedicate some time in your day to join Turn It Around and become the eyes and ears of your local network. Share local crime reports, news, events and ideas with others that live in your area. The more information we share - the better!

Feed the system with information that others can use to protect themselves and to inform the police. Let's give the police information they can act on. No excuses.

Linbro development

Thanks to Tina Kroll for these pics which give us a good snapshot of where we stand and what is happening.

All future pics welcomed. I think the Linbro blog will become a fabulous record of this suburb. We all have cameras, so let's get clicking, and do what Michelle has requested and Tina has delivered.

If nothing else, we will see each other's lives and build something of lasting value. A blog, within limits, is forever, after all!

Who is in charge, and whom to contact

More details on whom to contact

People lived here once ... amazing speed of construction

Our new road being built through Steve Caddick's former property

And no construction takes place without some collateral damage

Yesterday's storm, as depicted on my own blog, for anyone interested

http://frank-heydenrych.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-pms-storm-approaching-as-snapped.html

Life in New Zealand ...

A fellow journalist, Donovan Jackson, emigrated to NZ some time ago.

Compare our kak with this, and ask yourself which way you'll vote May 18.


http://grumpybastard.posterous.com/dear-south-africans-if-i-move-overseas-must-i

Our missing cat ... update

Update: There is no doubt whatsoever that our cat was stolen/abducted and made his way home. He has walked kilometres to come home, on tarmac, evidenced by all of his claws being worn down and ragged and his loss of body mass. The tales of cats being able to find their way home from anywhere are true.


Pics to follow.


Puddy returned at 3am with a gentle squeal to tell us he was hungry. He had lost a fifth of his body mass, and had been gone 10 days. No visible injuries, and if only he could speak, what a tale he would tell. There are going to be some tears of joy and very happy children around here come sunrise. We might even let him sleep on the bed.

Thanks for all the messages of support!

Champers called for this evening.

I promised something wonderful would come out of Linbro Park ...

From a business perspective, the first building block was laid tonight (not a cornerstone, yet).

No 2 comes next week.

Then No 3.

Then No 4.

As soon as I am in a position to advise, I will, but I am very proud to say a few businesses that will catch the positive attention of the world are being built here at 87 Hilton Road, and suffice it to say, people will say for years to come, "That came out of Linbro Park!"

A very happy man tonight. Stormers beat Sharks, India won the World Cup, and new foundations are being laid.

Warehouses on remnant 87 Hilton Road

Update: The destruction of the warehouses starts Wednesday morning 7 and will continue for around a fortnight. Our personal thanks to Intaprop and Elphick Earthworks. This should have a seriously positive impact on crime in the area.

Update: Meeting Intaprop and Elphick Earthworks Tuesday morning to have them pulled down. Progress.

These warehouses have been an utter shame for the five years I have lived here. They have been a magnet for vandalism, a haven for crime and an utter eyesore. Designed as chicken sheds, they became warehouses for Rob Bouwer and living quarters for Phineas, who now works at Super Seedlings. When Rob died, they fell into the most terrible disrepair, and no matter what we have tried to do, we could not get them levelled as the land has never belonged to us, but we have had to live with the consequences, such as near-nightly attacks on our property. We had another two nights ago.

Now Elphick Earthworks will come in and level them at some time in the near future. This is a warning to neighbours, such as Alastair, Jeanette, Annemarie and Steff that the noise and dust will, for a period of time, be excessive.

Update: Pics added, as per Michelle Nel's request

Update: Late at night, this is where most of the local stolen Telkom cable was processed three years ago. Neglect always has a terrible price. We reported this over and again to our local structures, SAPS and Telkom and Intaprop and got absolutely nowhere for three years, and now our neighbourhood has no cables.

Amazing: A family lived here ...

... and here ...

This is one of the warehouses where criminals lived and used to attack us

This is where criminals lived and used as a base to attack us at night

This stuff stolen from poor folk around us and then thrown away; Obed, at LEAP, was among the repeat victims

This is where Linbro held many parties: also used as a base to attack us at night. Importantly, this was the main Telkom stolen cable processing facility

Life after the Linbro nonsense

Update: I was born on this day. I did not choose it. I had hundreds of well-wishers, as I always do. Only one unspeakable entity in my five decades has ever used it as venom against me. If anything can demonstrate the sheer malevolent, unstoppable, vile, nasty, filthy nature of this person, this does. Thanks to all the people in this suburb who knew, and wished me well. As for this person ... you declare yourself in the most unfortunate light on a daily basis. Just about beyond redemption.


Good day to all LPians. I did not attend last night, and I can honestly say my life is better for it. I can't begin to say how hard the decision was not to attend, given the severity of the event under discussion. But the nonsense we have had to endure through trying to be good community folk has been unbearable, to be absolutely honest.

Involve yourself in any aspect of LP life, you get cut down left, right and centre.

Now I can look after my family life, raising a two-year-old in this corner of paradise, ensuring my 15-year-old grows up correctly, optimising value and growing my business.

Just not interested in being part of the obsessive nature of one person around here, any more, ever again.

And good God, everyone knows I tried!

Anyone ever wants to share the story over a brew, you buy the brew. It will astonish, amaze, puzzle, perplex and revolt you.