A home owner who disposed of household goods worth R99 000 belonging to his former tenant, without the tenant’s permission, was on Friday sentenced to two years’ house arrest.
Vaughan Fred Alberts (45), was also fined R1 800 or four months’ jail on a charge of malicious damage, for smashing a car’s headlights with a baseball bat.
The hearing in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court before magistrate Alta le Roux resulted from a squabble between Alberts and his former tenant Patrick Love, who had vacated the Tableview home but had his entire household goods stored in the garage of the house.
Le Roux said Alberts had asked Love to empty the garage, but when Love failed to do so, Alberts had disposed of the goods without Love’s permission and without informing Love of his intentions.
Some of the items were sold to Alberts’s domestic servant, and other items were given to charity.
When Love discovered what had happened he approached Alberts’s home with a friend, Lee Tucker, in Tucker’s car. Alberts noticed the car in his street and approached with a bat hidden behind his back. When he got to the car, he smashed one of the headlights with the bat.
Le Roux described the illegal disposal of Love’s entire household as ”shocking”. She said the items included computer equipment that Love needed for his work.
She said she would be failing in her duty to the community if she gave Alberts a suspended sentence, as requested by defence attorney Dale Stevens, for the theft (disposal of household).
She said Love now faces hardship and has to start his computer career from scratch again.
In addition to the house arrest, Alberts has to render 16 hours’ community service per month. — Sapa