Cape Town - An ambulance worker is alleged to have committed crimes in a two-month spree that ended in the death of a policewoman at a roadblock set up to catch him – and is now facing 22 charges.
The charges stem from a string of incidents that took place mainly in Strand, Somerset West and Gordon’s Bay.
Among the allegations is that Cheswill Julian Adendorf stole two cars, stole petrol several times by speeding off without paying, broke into more than six vehicles and collided with a car to bring it to a stop and rob its occupants.
He also faces a count of murder relating to the death of policewoman Nokulungu Hazel Jako on April 7.
According to the indictment and a summary of the State’s case against Adendorf, on April 7 the police spotted the stolen car he had allegedly been using. It is alleged Adendorf fled when he saw the police. Efforts to chase him were to no avail.
The Flying Squad was contacted by radio and set up a roadblock in Strand. The State alleges that as Adendorf approached the roadblock, he accelerated and drove straight at it, hitting and killing Jako, who had been standing in front of the roadblock to indicate to motorists that they should stop.
In the first incident in the alleged crime spree, a radio telephone was stolen on February 11 from a desk at the Helderberg Hospital in Somerset West, where Adendorf – understood to have been a Metro ambulance driver – was based.
Most of the charges, however, relate to events that occurred over a week at the beginning of April.
The charges he is facing in the Western Cape High Court include theft, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
Among the accusations in the State’s documents are that:
- He broke into eight cars, stealing items such as jewellery, shoes, a spare wheel, a front-loading CD player and cellphones.
- On March 21, he stole a grey motor vehicle, which he allegedly used to carry out a number of other crimes.
- He stole petrol on four occasions by asking the attendant to fill up his tank, then sped away once it was filled.
- On April 5, Adendorf, accompanied by another man, offered a woman a lift and drove a short distance before demanding that she hand over her handbag. Once she had done so, she was ordered to get out of the car.
- Adendorf, travelling with several other men in a vehicle, brought another car to a stop on April 6 by colliding with it and then robbed the occupants.
Adendorf made a brief appearance in court on Friday. The matter was postponed for a few weeks for another pretrial meeting.
Cape Times