OWN CORESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 10.30am.
GAUTENG Deputy Judge President HCJ Flemming became the sixth Johannesburg judge or close family member to be hijacked in the past three years when he was robbed of his white Audi as he left his Victory Park home.
The judge, who each day sits on appeal benches hearing the review cases of convicted hijackers, told The Star newspaper that one in four judges at the Johannesburg High Court, and a wife of a judge, had fallen victim to hijacking over the past three years.
He described the horror of being on the wrong end of a loaded gun, as opposed to being the one listening to accounts of victims.
“I was reversing, looking at the mirror to see whether the gate was open… a guy put a pistol to my head and there was not much debate.”
He declined to give further details fot he crime in case he was later called to testify.
The judge said he pleaded with the robbers to hand over his briefcase.
“I asked the one who did not have a gun if I could have my briefcase back because my work was inside. The one with the gun refused. Again I said ‘please’. The unarmed man looked inside, but the gunman closed the briefcase again.” They escaped with the briefcase, but threw it out of the window as they drove off. Judge Flemming was keen to stress that his ordeal would have no bearing on hijacking cases brought before him in future.