Police officer arrested for assisting suspect to escape from jail
The Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has urged the public to report crooked cops. This is after a police constable from Bellhar Police Station was arrested for allegedly accepting a R1,000 bribe to assist a fraud suspect escape from custody.
This week, Western Cape Anti-Corruption Unit stormed the Belllhar police station and handcuffed police constable Chesylin Heckrath while reading him a warrant of arrest for corruption and aiding and abetting an accused.
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile said Heckrath allegedly accepted money and helped a 22-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud, to escape from the holding cells.
“Whilst in detention the suspect was approached by the SAPS member who requested him to pay an amount of R1,000 in exchange to be assisted to escape. The suspect made arrangements and received the cash via e-wallet.
“The constable then assisted the suspect to escape during the night as per their prior arrangement. The suspect, however, was re-arrested in the early hours of Saturday, 18 November 2023, when he blew the whistle on corruption,” Patekile said
Heckrath appeared briefly before the Bellville Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday on a charge of corruption and aiding and abetting escape from lawful custody. He was released on R2,000 bail, and his case was postponed until 30 January 2024.
No tags for this post.