Fugitive Scott-Crossley turns himself in to police

MARK Scott-Crossley‚ who was on the run from police‚ has been arrested in Pretoria.

He has been wanted for questioning in connection with an attack on a wildlife employee‚ who was run over with a 4x4 vehicle in Hoedspruit last month.

Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that Scott-Crossley had been arrested after he was handed over to police by his lawyer yesterday.

Scott-Crossley‚ who served time for being an accessory after the fact to the murder of a former worker who was thrown into a lions’ den‚ is wanted in connection with a case of attempted murder.

Mojapelo said detectives were driving from Limpopo to collect Scott-Crossley‚ who was released in 2008 on parole.

“He will appear in court soon in connection with the attempted murder of Innocent Mabunda,” he said. “The suspect is alleged to have knocked him over with his car in Hoedspruit.

“He then allegedly reversed over Mabunda as well.”

Police were investigating a complaint that a man alleged to be Scott-Crossley accosted Mabunda outside a restaurant, Mojapelo said.

“It was during the alleged assault that the suspect grabbed Mabunda’s cellphone and threw it to the ground.

“The suspect allegedly then went to his car and used it to drive over Mabunda.”

Scott-Crossley was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005 after he and two of his farm employees threw former farm worker Nelson Chisale into a lion enclosure.

He appealed against his life sentence at the Supreme Court of Appeal and his murder conviction was substituted with five years’ imprisonment.

Scott-Crossley was released on parole in August 2008 and returned to his Hoedspruit farm.