Justice catches up
UK fugitive dupes Bathurst community
The residents of Bathurst were shocked recently when a man they thought they knew quite well turned out to be someone else entirely.
Mike Flint arrived in Bathurst a few years ago and immediately ingratiated himself into the community. His northern English accent was just one of the things people knew him for, and his often sarcastic manner meant either replying in kind or being cowed into submission. Needless to say, Bathurstians are seldom cowed by anyone so he got along with most people there.
When he joined 43 Air School on contract to manage their Wright Place restaurant, he seemed to do a great job, popularising the establishment while opening it up to visitors and setting up a delicious menu that had locals from miles around looking forward to the Sunday lunch. He certainly knew his way around the kitchen and claimed this was from his years in the catering industry.
He organised the Wright Place to be open in the evenings for open mic nights and shows and the restaurant really buzzed, especially at special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, “Christmas in July” and at other times.
Yet all the time, Flint held onto a secret that, once revealed, came as a complete shock and caused a great deal of head-shaking among the residents who thought they knew him.
Mike Flint was actually Gary Pyatt, a conman who had been on the Interpol list of wanted people for at least 10 years and who had for 22 years evaded capture by the British legal system that had sentenced him to six years imprisonment for fraud.
Pyatt had marketed Eric Cantona wine and brandy with an image of the famous Manchester United striker on the label, but without the permission of either Man United or
Cantona. After sentencing in the Manchester High Court in 1998, Pyatt fled to SA to avoid his imprisonment and ended up doing odd jobs before landing a position at the Country Lodge near Southbroom on the Natal South Coast, while living in Port Edward.
On suspicion that Pyatt (known as either Gary George Pyatt or Brandon William Pyatt) was cultivating dagga the police raided his home in 2009 and discovered 425 marijuana seedlings in containers in his yard.
Once again Pyatt demonstrated his reluctance to face his fate and skipped bail. However, he was again arrested in 2012 in Howick and convicted for carrying an unlicensed firearm. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment but managed to escape and disappear under the radar.
Pyatt, now calling himself Michael Flint, moved to the Eastern Cape in 2014 where he took up residence in Bathurst. While living there, he was appointed as a sub-contractor for 43 Air School to manage the Wright Place.
Recently, however a photograph of him at the time of his conviction for the Cantona Wine was found to be exactly the same as one from his arrest and conviction for the marijuana case and police began to put two and two together.
Flint was an avid Manchester United fan and once told a story about how he had been involved with the famous football club and even drove around in a Rolls Royce.
While on a recent visit to Pretoria to obtain travel visas, Flint was identified as a felon who was on the Interpol watch list and arrested and taken to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. Yet, while in custody he was also fingered as the man responsible for theft from a home in Durban. He has also been accused of stealing his business partner’s Jeep Cherokee which was found three weeks later abandoned in Makhanda (Grahamstown).
Attie Niemann, CEO of 43 Air School, seemed as shocked as everyone else when the truth of Pyatt’s real identity was revealed.
“He was a normal guy and worked here as a sub-contractor for about two years,” said Niemann. “We were as surprised as everyone [when] we heard the story. Nothing else worth mentioning.”
TotT also tried contacting Tanya Schenk, who was Flint’s landlord in Bathurst, but was unsuccessful. In a Facebook post on April 7, she wrote: “My Bathurst tenant that owes me 60k in rental turns out to be a most wanted fugitive! Pg 6 Sunday Times. I am completely and utterly shocked.” Schenk included photos of the Sunday Times article. There were numerous comments from Schenk’s Facebook friends expressing their shock and dismay.
Pyatt is currently in police custody in Pretoria but will be moved to the Umbilo police station to face charges of housebreaking.