Robber assaults sleeping baby
JESSICA BOTES
A Swakopmund mother of twin babies is the latest victim of a string of violent burglaries in Swakopmund.
At approximately 03:50 on Wednesday, a burglar removed a window frame at a house in Leadwood Street, Vineta, and unlocked the door from the inside. He woke the woman, whose husband was at work. According to the Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch, he grabbed her by the neck and “threw her around”.
The neighbourhood watch said the burglar also assaulted one of the babies, sleeping in a cot in the bedroom, picking it up “as though it were a doll” and throwing it back into the cot.
“He then grabbed the woman again and threw her down next to the bed, warning her that if she dared to press the panic button of the alarm, he would kill her,” the neighbourhood watch said.
The burglar then rummaged through her drawers.
At about 04:00, the neighbourhood watch received a distress call but upon their arrival the robber had already left.
“He got away with a laptop and cash. The victim’s handbag was lying in the garden outside the house where he left it.”
Members of the police, assisted by the neighbourhood watch, tracked the robber but lost the trail at around 06:00.
The woman was in shock and was taken to the hospital.
“We tried to talk to her but she was crying and lost consciousness repeatedly. She was in a state of severe shock.”
The baby was not seriously injured.
Reports from the neighbourhood watch in Swakopmund indicate that violent robberies have increased by 60% over the last two months.
“There are far more burglaries than ever before, in particular in Ocean View and Kramersdorf. Robbers are taking more and more chances and they are targeting new homes with aluminium windows because they are so easily removed. We simply cannot keep up with them.”
The most recent incident was on 16 February where an armed robbery took place at a guesthouse in Kramersdorf. Four armed men entered the building at around 21:00 and found the owners, an elderly couple, and three guests on the premises.
They assaulted the guesthouse owner and got away with cash, jewellery and two firearms. Four men were arrested after the incident but were released because of a lack of evidence.
A Swakopmund mother of twin babies is the latest victim of a string of violent burglaries in Swakopmund.
At approximately 03:50 on Wednesday, a burglar removed a window frame at a house in Leadwood Street, Vineta, and unlocked the door from the inside. He woke the woman, whose husband was at work. According to the Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch, he grabbed her by the neck and “threw her around”.
The neighbourhood watch said the burglar also assaulted one of the babies, sleeping in a cot in the bedroom, picking it up “as though it were a doll” and throwing it back into the cot.
“He then grabbed the woman again and threw her down next to the bed, warning her that if she dared to press the panic button of the alarm, he would kill her,” the neighbourhood watch said.
The burglar then rummaged through her drawers.
At about 04:00, the neighbourhood watch received a distress call but upon their arrival the robber had already left.
“He got away with a laptop and cash. The victim’s handbag was lying in the garden outside the house where he left it.”
Members of the police, assisted by the neighbourhood watch, tracked the robber but lost the trail at around 06:00.
The woman was in shock and was taken to the hospital.
“We tried to talk to her but she was crying and lost consciousness repeatedly. She was in a state of severe shock.”
The baby was not seriously injured.
Reports from the neighbourhood watch in Swakopmund indicate that violent robberies have increased by 60% over the last two months.
“There are far more burglaries than ever before, in particular in Ocean View and Kramersdorf. Robbers are taking more and more chances and they are targeting new homes with aluminium windows because they are so easily removed. We simply cannot keep up with them.”
The most recent incident was on 16 February where an armed robbery took place at a guesthouse in Kramersdorf. Four armed men entered the building at around 21:00 and found the owners, an elderly couple, and three guests on the premises.
They assaulted the guesthouse owner and got away with cash, jewellery and two firearms. Four men were arrested after the incident but were released because of a lack of evidence.
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