'Suspended top cop Sibiya's associate remains convicted serial hijacker'
Major General Anthony Gopal disclosed at a media briefing in Durban that the criminal records of Stuart Sharnick were tampered with by an SAPS employee.
Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers.
A POLICE officer has landed himself in hot water for allegedly clearing the criminal record of James Stuart Scharnick, an associate of embattled deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya.
KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Commissioner for Crime Detection Major-General Anthony Gopaul detailed the criminal cases linked to Scharnick, who has opened cases, including one of defeating the ends of justice against the South African Police Service’s head of Crime Intelligence, Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo, at the Pretoria Central police station. Khumalo told the Madlanga Commission that Scharnick is “a serial hijacker” and linked him to criminal syndicates.
Khumalo also claimed that a Toyota double-cab bakkie driven by Sibiya, was registered in Scharnick’s name.
From Left: Brigadier Nokuphila Ntuli, Deputy commissioner for Crime Detection, Major-General Anthony Gopaul and Brigadier Sipho Kunene.
Image: Willem Phungula
After Scharnick disputed Khumalo’s testimony, Gopaul said provincial police felt they should respond as most of the cases took place in KwaZulu-Natal.
He said Sharnick had criminal records linked to carjackings and car theft.
Gopaul said police were shocked to discover that Scharnick's criminal records were deleted in the system by an employee in the CRCS (Criminal Records Systems Register) head office in Pretoria. He said that the employee would not have been aware that there was a backup record.
“The irony of his action is that he assisted us because after his claims, we went back into the system and we discovered that a certain employee had removed his records. However, we found his criminal records and can safely inform the public that Scharnick was convicted of carjackings and theft,” said Gopaul.
He said at this stage there are no records of Scharnick having applied for his record to be expunged.
Gopaul said their preliminary investigation has found that in court, Scharnick’s 18 cases involving carjackings and theft had resulted in a 'slap on the wrist'. He said the police in the province will ask the NPA how this happened.
“We need answers on how he got away with a fine,” said Gopaul.
The NPA's provincial spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA would respond in due course.
Speaking to journalists outside the Pretoria Central police station on Wednesday, Scharnick said he had instructed his lawyers to pursue both criminal and civil action against Khumalo.
Cape Times