Paul Kirk
Despite assurances to the contrary, one of the Big Brother contestants has not been cleared of all charges relating to his illegal possession of a machine gun and an unlicensed 9mm pistol.
This week it emerged that Bradford Wood has a murky history having in the past been charged with several crimes including the illegal possession of arms, ammunition and police equipment.
In a press statement this week M-Net and Endemol, the producers of Big Brother claimed criminal charges against Wood had all been withdrawn and that his background had been thoroughly checked out.
But, using information first employed to unmask allegedly crooked Durban cop Piet Meyer in 1999, the Mail & Guardian this week established Wood does not have a clean slate at all.
According to the police’s own computer system, criminal charges brought against Wood under the Arms and Ammunition Act have not as yet been withdrawn.
The charges relate to Wood’s alleged possession of an AKM assault rifle and an unlicensed 9mm pistol.
The illegal possession of a fully automatic weapon such as the AKM rifle is punishable by a minimum jail term of five years.
The charges were brought against him in 1999 under Durban North police station Investigation Docket number 622/4/99. The name of the investigating officer is not recorded on the computer printout given to the M&G however a senior Durban North police station detective told the M&G the investigation was complete and with the prosecuting authorities. Wood has appeared in court and been charged with the offence. At the time of going to press the M&G could not establish any more details.
The printout shows that only a 1996 charge against Wood of obstructing police in the execution of their duty has been withdrawn.
Wood, who once owned a company in Durban that supplied bodyguarding services to the taxi industry, ran up a string of debts in the Durban area owing money to everyone from Nedbank to the now-defunct Health and Racquet Club before leaving Durban.
On the Big Brother website Wood claims to have been a successful businessman who operated two companies.
In 1996, while living in Durban he first came to the attention of the then Special Investigating Unit (SIU) of the Deputy Attorney General of the Transvaal. At the time the unit was investigating the involvement of allegedly crooked Durban cop Senior Superintendent Piet Meyer in organised crime syndicates. The SIU eventually became part of the Scorpions.
At the time the SIU first began its investigations in Durban, Wood was sharing a palatial home in Killiecrankie Drive, Westville with a notorious and convicted drug dealer.
The dealer, who could not this week be contacted, was also convicted of culpable homicide in that he shot dead the owner of Neptunes Strip Club a Point Road establishment that specialises in live sex shows and which was frequented by Meyer’s police colleagues.
Both Wood and the drug dealer were known to be friendly with many senior police officers who themselves were connected to Meyer.
Wood, although often seen in the company of the “Bouncer Mafia” who control much of Durban’s drug trade, was never accused of involvement in narcotics use or sale.
In 1996 his car a top-of-the-range BMW was impounded outside a nightclub when Wood claimed to have lost the keys and was unable to open the vehicle. This reporter was present at the time on another story.
After being towed to the Durban City Police’s offices the vehicle was forced open and six police bullet-proof vests were found in the boot. These appeared to have been stolen as their serial numbers had been removed.
Also found was a fake police identity document in Wood’s name as well as a loose police siren. The BMW was also found to have been fitted with a police siren. It was suspected by detectives present at the scene that the loose siren was meant for sale.
At the time Wood was neither a police reservist nor in any way entitled to be in possession of the equipment.
Wood escaped prosecution as a police officer claimed he was acting as a police informer at the time. However, it seems highly improbable that an undercover police agent or informer would travel in a car equipped with a police siren and carry a police identity document.
Wood has served as a police reservist in both Hillbrow and Durban in both cities he was asked to leave the service after not putting in enough hours.
Intriguingly his last known address was care of the South African Police Service, Knysna.