Barries Fourie attacked by Park Road SAPS, Bloemfontein: he tried to hand over a suspected drug-deal with the drugs…

2010-08-02 01:20 BLOEMFONTEIN - Pieter Steyn reports in Volksblad that Mr Barries Fourie, 35, of Bloemfontein, was allegedly assaulted by the SAPS at the Park Road station after he had tried to hand over a drug-dealer together with his drugs and wanted to make a statement. Fourie had brought the man to the police-station in his bakkie, and the man sat outside in the vehicle while Fourie went inside to lodge his formal complaint. However, the SAPS refused to cooperate, said Fourie, refusing to take his statement, refusing to speak to the drug-dealer, and then a sergeant had cursed him, sprayed him with pepper-spray, and beat him up in the presence of the accused drug-dealer. Then the suspected drug-dealer disappeared. Fourie said the pepper-spray had blinded him temporarily and he called his uncle, Jan Fourie, to come and help him – and then he phoned Volksblad to tell them of the incident. Only after the journalist showed up, were the police willing to take Fourie’s statement – but by that time, the drug-dealer was of course long gone, although the drugs he’d tried to peddle to Fourie, were at the police station. SAPS Lt Col Annelie Wrensch claimed that ‘Fourie initially was violent and aggressive and refused to speak to anyone in a police uniform.’ She admitted however that a complaint of assault was being investigated against a specific police member and that ‘action would be taken if any wrongdoing could be proven’ .http://www.volksblad.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Man-glo-aangerand-toe-hy-dwelms-aan-polisie-wou-gee-20100802