MPUMALANGA – Daniel Wagenaar (32) was found guilty by the Nelspruit District Court on Friday, 16 September 2022 on seven counts of housebreaking and theft.

The conviction followed after the accused broke into the DPCI offices on Van Ransburg Street in Nelspruit on 6 March 2022 at about 19:00. The Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) visited the crime scene and lifted fingerprints for linkages.

During the investigation, the suspect was positively linked to the crime scene. It was further established that he failed to appear in court on 9 March 2022 for two housebreaking and theft cases which occurred at Nelspruit between July 2019 and December 2021 respectively.

The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Nelspruit went to court to obtain a warrant for his arrest and he was traced from his hiding place. He was arrested on 09 March 2022 and was kept in custody until his conviction.

The case against Wagenaar was postponed to 14 October 2022 for a pre-sentence report.

Source: South African Police Service