Swift justice served on bag snatcher

Eileen van der Schyff

A 28-year-old handbag snatcher was sent to jail by a Walvis Bay magistrate on Wednesday afternoon, just over twenty-four hours after he grabbed a backpack out of a tourist’s hands in the harbour town’s central business district. Members of the Namibian Police and members of the public assisted in arresting the thug after what was described as a lengthy chase.

Lukas Shoombe grabbed the backpack out of the hands of the hands of an unsuspecting Mr Richard Hollands, a pensioner and tourist from England. It was on the corner of Theo-Ben Gurirab Street and 12th Road. The backpack contained a Nikon camera, Canon camera and a floppy with the value of N$9 500.

Shoombe ran away with the stolen handbag, but soon realised his luck was running out, as from every corner he encountered either a police-man man giving chase or members of the public also assisting.

He was eventually taken down a block away from where he grabbed the bag. CCTV footage also shows him grabbing the bag and him running down Theo-Ben Gurirab Street.

On Wednesday during very brief magistrate’s court procedures he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one-year imprisonment.