Durban -
Private investigator Brad Nathanson, who has a reputation for helping deliver Durban criminals to justice, was on the wrong side of the law on Wednesday when he appeared on charges of assault and pointing a firearm.
Nathanson’s former wife, Sally Engelbrecht, and her husband, Brad Engelbrecht, filed the complaint against Nathanson this week after a fight between them at her house on Sunday.
He appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
Nathanson said outside court that he had received two SMSes from Engelbrecht on Sunday afternoon, while he was in church, telling him to come to his house. He then received a call from Sally, who asked him to come too, and then hung up. Nathanson said he had phoned both parties back, but there was no reply.
When he arrived at the house, Nathanson said, he rang the intercom at the front gate and drove up to the house where Engelbrecht and his family were waiting.
Nathanson said that Engelbrecht, who has a black belt in karate, walked up to him and punched him in the neck.
“I put my hands up and told him I did not want to fight, especially in front of my children,” he said.
Nathanson claimed that Engelbrecht kicked him in the ribs as his hands were raised and made to move in closer, to which Nathanson responded by punching Engelbrecht in the face.
The pair tussled and Nathanson pulled out his 9mm firearm.
“I am not denying the charges. I did hit him, in defence. And I did pull out my weapon, but to defuse the situation,” said Nathanson.
Nathanson said his relationship with his former wife had been “acrimonious” in recent years.
He claimed he had been set up by being asked to come to the house on Sunday.
Sally said outside the court that Engelbrecht had SMSed Nathanson because he wanted to discuss a comment posted about him on Facebook.
“I phoned him (Nathanson) and he just said, ‘I’m on my way’ and put the phone down,” she said.
Engelbrecht, who was not at court on Thursday, had told his wife that, moments after the phone call, Nathanson came “flying” up the driveway of their Kloof home, leapt out of his car with gun in hand and “launched” into him.
Three of Sally and Nathanson’s four children and Sally’s parents were apparently present during the altercation.
“That’s when I came running out,” she said. “He had a gun to my husband’s chest… and I pushed myself in between the two of them.”
She said Engelbrecht had “yanked” her out of the way while her son tried to hold her back, as Nathanson punched Engelbrecht in the face, wrestled him to the ground and held a gun to his head. “I was convinced he was going to kill Brad (Engelbrecht).”
Nathanson fled after someone pushed a panic button.
Engelbrecht was left with a broken nose and a split lip.
Asked what she thought had triggered the attack, Sally said only: “I always knew this day would come.”
When Nathanson’s bail application was put before the magistrate on Wednesday, prosecutor Nqobile Malinga told the court that Sally wanted bail to be refused for Nathanson.
The bail hearing could not take place, however, Malinga explained, as the police had released Nathanson on a warning after he handed himself over that morning.
Eventually an agreement was reached by Malinga and Nathanson’s attorney, Alex Crockart, that Nathanson would not be taken into custody, but was not allowed within 50m of Sally’s home.
Sally also requested a protection order against Nathanson, which was granted.
Police spokesman Jay Naicker said Nathanson had been released from custody on a warning after he arrived at court and had been allowed to sit in the gallery before his appearance.
Naicker said Nathanson also handed over his three licensed firearms to police.
The Mercury