The Gqeberha Flying Squad member who was named as one of the best performing police officers in the province for two consecutive years, will appear in court again in June and August for charges relating to kidnapping and assault.
Warrant Officer Severiano Blundin (34) even won a car in 2020 and was named as the member that recovered the most hijacked and stolen vehicles in the country.
However, things turned sour for the decorated police officer when he was arrested last month on charges of torture, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, three counts of kidnapping, common assault and sexual assault.
Blundin faces criminal charges and is also involved in a civil case where two of the three alleged victims are seeking compensation from the South African Police Service for the alleged incidents.
According to court documents pertaining to the civil case, Blundin and an unknown police member “maliciously,” “alternatively,” “wrongly” and “unlawfully” arrested and kidnapped Alvado Francis and Sherwin Eckhard on March 15, 2019, in Gelvandale, allegedly on a false pretence that the Gang Unit wanted to profile Francis to check if he was a wanted suspect.
Francis and Eckhard were then allegedly detained arbitrarily in a white BMW, after which they were taken to the parking area of the Algoa Park police station under the pretence that they were waiting for the Gang Unit.
According to the documents, after a while, the plaintiffs were taken to an undisclosed, deserted area and tortured.
Black plastic bags were allegedly placed over their heads and their wrists were tied with cable ties by the said police members.
The documents claim that Blundin and the unknown police member transported the plaintiffs between two deserted locations and back to Gelvandale.
“Blundin assaulted the first plaintiff [Francis] by, inter alia, slapping him with an open hand and punching him in the face with his clenched fists. Whilst being assaulted by Blundin, the first plaintiff jumped out of the white BMW and ran towards the charge office of the Algoa Park Police Station. However, Blundin pursued him on foot and caught hold of him before he could enter the charge office and took him back to the BMW,” the documents read.
“Later the same night, at an undisclosed and deserted bushy location and having black bags over their head and face, the plaintiffs were assaulted by Blundin and an unknown police man who, inter alia, undressed the first plaintiff completely naked and sprayed pepper spray in the black plastic bags which were over the plaintiffs’ heads and faces,” the documents read further.
It is also claimed that Blundin hit Francis all over his body, including his left hand on which he had an operation earlier that week and choked him until he lost consciousness.
Both Blundin and the other member allegedly kept assaulting Francis until he regained consciousness.
Out of fear of his life, Francis told the members that he had a firearm at his house but when they searched it, nothing illegal was found and he was allegedly assaulted again.
After being confronted for lying about the firearm, the members allegedly dressed Francis again and drove to Gelvandale, where the two were released from custody.
Francis and his mother laid charges against the two police officers a few days later.
The two plaintiffs are suing SAPS for approximately R1 million for pain, suffering, humiliation and shock.
Blundin, who is out on bail, recently appeared in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on these criminal charges. The case was postponed to June 15 for further investigation and the attainment of documents.
