Thursday, March 7, 2013

Robbers pepper-spray sleeping baby


Durban - A Durban family were shocked when robbers pepper-sprayed their sleeping 4-month-old baby after invading their home during an armed robbery.

Brenda and Allen Lockyear and their two children had only recently returned to South Africa after living overseas for 11 years, reported the Daily News.

They were staying with Lockyear’s parents, Pam and Des  Naudé while their home was being renovated.

On Saturday night, while Allen Lockyear was away in the UK on business, robbers entered the home, pepper-spraying the aged family dog until it passed out.

One of the robbers walked up to Brenda Lockyear and pepper-sprayed the baby, who was asleep in his mother’s arms.

The men also pointed a gun at the couple’s other 3-year-old daughter.

“The baby was screaming with pain and he could not breathe. By this time two more suspects appeared. One of them cocked the gun and placed it to my husband’s head. He too was repeatedly pepper-sprayed,” said Pam Naudé, the mother of Allen Lockyear.

“They had no right to harm him [the baby]. That makes me very angry. Crime is out of control. It is getting worse and worse every day. My son [Allen] came back because this is home,” Naudé said.

“These guys were professionals. They seemed to know the layout of the house and where all the dogs were kept. They ransacked the entire house.”

Goods worth more than R350 000 were stolen and packed into Naudé’s car with the personalised licence plate, Gogo1 ZN.

Both children needed medical treatment.

Naudé said her son returned to South Africa the next day and said he would give his home country one more chance but should there be another incident, he will leave as soon as possible.