Durban - Charges have been laid against two Durban men for defeating the ends of justice.
This was after they got drunk, forgot where they had parked their cars and then went to the police for help.
The men parked their cars in Chartwell and Lagoon drives in Durban North last weekend. They laid theft of motor vehicle complaints at the Durban North SAPS. The next day they withdrew them after establishing they had made a mistake. They had forgotten where their cars were parked.
In the first case, the complainant told the police he had parked his car at a local hotel but when he came out later he couldn’t find it. A case of theft was reported.
The second was similar. The owner of the vehicle later admitted he couldn’t remember where he had parked his car.
The police decided to charge the men with defeating the ends of justice for wasting their manpower.
Police spokesman Lt Colonel Shooz Magudulela confirmed the incidents.
“Cases of defeating the ends of justice were opened at Durban North SAPS for investigation and no arrests have been made.”
Magudulela said such incidents were viewed in a serious light by the police, and perpetrators could also be charged with perjury.
“The public needs to know that when you give a statement under oath, you cannot lie.
“You could face a charge of perjury if you do. All statements should be 100 percent correct.
“We often hear of cases where people lie about an incident and when police find out the truth, they are charged. This in turn results in manpower being wasted,” said Magudulela.
Sunday Tribune