Jiu jitsu gym theft pair jailed

THE finger-pointing and excuses of a Port Elizabeth jiu jitsu coach, Jason Hendricks, who lived the high life off the millions stolen by his then lover, were silenced yesterday as he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Danielle Norman, the alleged mastermind behind the R16-million swindle, must serve 15 years behind bars, the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court ruled yesterday.

Norman pleaded guilty to stealing the money from her for- mer employer, South African Express Line (Sael), between May 2010 and September 2012, before laundering the money through Hendricks’s Newton Park gym, Invisible Jiu Jitsu.

Norman was employed as a manager of Sael’s Port Elizabeth branch at the time and her position allowed her to requisition cheques from Sael’s head office.

She received invoices from suppliers and was responsible for authorising the cheques for payment and entering them into Sael’s account books.

Hendricks pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering.

The two, both in their 30s, were involved in a love affair.

Magistrate Louis Claassen said yesterday that they lived the high life off money that was not rightfully theirs.

The two blew some of the cash on luxury vehicles, and Hendricks splurged on a R1.6-million house and a trip overseas.

Hendricks tried to shift the majority of the blame on to Norman, who, he said, lied to him about where the money came from.

He said he was under the impression that the cash was from businessmen wanting to invest in his gym and a feeding scheme he hoped to set up in the northern areas.