CAPE TOWN - “My child, my child is at the back.”
These were the only words Alicia Lamprecht could shout in the traumatic moment she was hijacked and the suspect made off with her 7-month old baby, Henco in the back seat earlier this week.
Days after their hijacking and kidnapping ordeal, Lamprecht, 28, from Brackenfell spoke to the Cape Times, saying reality had started setting in as her mind and body played catch up with the emotions of that day.
Their weekly visit to a friend in Observatory on Monday, turned into a nightmare when her VW Polo Vivo was hijacked in Observatory – little Henco was strapped into his car seat at the back.
“I am feeling drained. (Wednesday) was a big day for us because it was the first time we had left home, going for a thorough check up with the paediatrician. I had to strap Henco into the car seat but I just couldn’t do it. It was too overwhelming and my husband then had to do it.
“It was a very emotional day for me and even as it was the first time we switched on the TV and we saw ourselves on the news, reliving the incident. All the adrenaline of the day has worked out and now our emotions are playing catch up. I haven’t had much of an appetite and all I want to do is sit and cry or sleep,” said Lamprecht.
Self-employed Lamprecht, with her husband Coenie, are expected to attend their first trauma counselling session on Friday.
“After our visit to the paediatrician, we have been assured that everything is fine and his scrapes and bruises will heal. He is doing okay… Monday night was a bit unusual for us and, because he senses our emotions, he was a bit on edge. But otherwise he has been his playful self,” said Lamprecht.
A first-time victim of hijacking, Lamprecht said in the moment, all she could do was shout “my child, my child is on the back”.
“I had visited a friend, as I do weekly, and Henco was strapped into the back seat. We were saying our farewells while she also had her baby with her. The suspect just appeared from nowhere because we hadn’t noticed anything suspicious.
“I went into fight mode because all I wanted was to get my baby back. We alerted all emergency services while I started tracking my car and even after the car was found, I didn’t look at anything. I just looked in the back seat for my baby and when he wasn’t there, I just wanted to do everything to find him. It all happened so quickly,” Lamprecht recalled.
Mere hours after the incident, Henco was found unharmed at an address in Dellville Square, Maitland after a passerby found him in his car seat.
Lamprecht’s vehicle was recovered in Voortrekker Road, Maitland.
“I haven’t given the suspect much thought. Not knowing him makes it much easier not to hate him. I don’t want to hate him. I do, however, want the police to catch him and he must pay for his crime because he has done such a big injustice to my friends and family who have also been traumatised by the incident,” said Lamprecht.
She said they are now on their way to recovery and are working through their emotions of anger and fear.
“Life won’t be the same again and some things will stick with us for a while. The suspect has no idea what his split-second decision has done to us but we are taking it day by day.”
While a suspect was confirmed as “identified” on Monday, no arrests have yet been made, said police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi.
“There are no new developments. Investigation continues,” said Swartbooi.
Research fellow at UCT’s Centre for Criminology, Simon Howell, said while the incident of Lamprecht was not a traditional hijacking – being accosted by an armed suspect – signs to be alert for in a possible hijacking situation can apply equally.
“One of the key factors is preparation. Make sure that your vehicle is insured and a tracker is installed which could help authorities a lot in the recovery of your vehicle.
“Another element is prevention by awareness. Being alert and aware in high risk and dangerous hijacking hotspot zones. If you do get into a situation where you are being hijacked, the response would be to just comply. Hijacking is an economic crime and in most cases they just want the vehicle and not the person. If you just comply you are less likely to be hurt,” said Howell.
In an incident such as Lamprecht’s where a child was in the vehicle, Howell said it would be best to highlight that there is a child in the vehicle so that it could be the beginning of a negotiation, to have the child removed from the vehicle.
“When driving in high risk areas, always ensure that you leave two car spaces so you are able to keep the car moving instead of coming to a complete stop. If you have to stop, keep two car spaces so you can move backward or forward,” said Howell.
Anyone with information on the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 0860010111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.
Cape Times