Heideveld motorists can breathe a sigh of relief after a serial skelm caught breaking into their cars was sent to Pollsmoor Prison for the next two years.
Just two months after being arrested, Allen “Battery Kop” Olince, was found guilty and sentenced in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court, thanks to swift action and kwaai police work by Detective Sergeant Daryl van Noie.
The Manenberg officer arrested Battery Kop and his two accomplices within hours of their last job at Heideveld Day Hospital and recovered power tools worth R12 000.
Manenberg Police Station Commander, Brigadier Enolium Joseph, explains that on 5 February, a 44-year-old man who rushed his sick father to the hospital discovered that the canopy of his bakkie had been broken open and his work tools, which included a Makita drill, grinder and welding machine, were stolen.
STOLEN: The tools, a welding machine and Makita grinder. Photo: Supplied
The victim flagged down officers patrolling the area and told them what had happened. Minutes later, the officers spotted Battery Kop and his two friends walking in the area.
Van Noie was called to interrogate the men and established they were behind the theft.
The skelms took the officer to a house where the welding machine was, but Battery Kop blamed his friends.
But Van Noie was not convinced and went to the home of the main suspect where he found the drill and grinder hidden under a bed.
Battery Kop appeared in court the next day where he was granted R1000 bail, but shortly before the trial commenced, he tried to convince the victim to withdraw the case.
A source says: “Allen has been in and out of court for this type of theft. He was sentenced in 2015 and 2016.
ATRICLE: The previous report
“Between then and 2019, he was arrested three more times and every time the victims withdraw the case because he and his wife approach the people at court and tell them sob stories about their children being without a father.
“In this case, he did the same thing and the victim tried to withdraw the case, but the prosecutor refused.
“This guy is a serial skelm, somehow he can steal a car battery without tripping the alarms and he likes to target patients at the Heideveld Day Hospital.”
Joseph says on 27 March the skelm was sentenced to 24 months direct imprisonment and was taken to Pollsmoor Prison.
KUDOS: Enolium Joseph. Photo: Supplied
The state withdrew the charges against his accomplices due to a lack of evidence.
Joseph adds: “Van Noie must be commended for acting swiftly to the calls of the community needs and has now finalised this case within a matter of days.
He is a true detective with a nose for solving crime.”
monique.duval@inl.co.za