More cases against firearms dealer
While Karen Webb indicated she wanted to apply for a second shot at bail during her latest court appearance yesterday, the state threw a curveball by bringing three new cases against the Gqeberha firearms dealer.
The 40-year-old, whose first bail application was denied in February, now faces three additional theft charges — two for the theft of firearms, and one for taking money from a customer and never providing him with firearms.
She already has a string of charges against her which include fraud, defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to smuggle firearms and providing firearms to people not allowed to possess them.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the movement of hundreds of firearms from her business premises in Central, Gqeberha, to the Western Cape without obtaining prior permission from her local police station’s Designated Firearms Officer (DFO), is continuing.
Webb and her business, Webb’s Arms, are accused of stealing several firearms from another dealer, Aquila Arms, which had been storing weapons at her premises in Albany Road.
She has also allegedly been linked to dozens of firearms found in the possession of criminals in Nelson Mandela Bay’s northern areas, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
She was arrested on February 8 and has been in custody since.
While Webb stood in the dock at the Gqeberha magistrate’s court, her newly appointed defence attorney, Paul Roelofse, indicated that they intended to bring a second bail application based on new facts.
He, however, did not give any indication as to what these new facts entailed.
Webb’s matter was postponed to June 26 for further investigation.
Roelofse said his client might be requisitioned to return to court before that date should they wish to bring the new bail application before then.
Webb was about to leave the courtroom when state advocate Liezel Landman called her back to the dock, placing three new cases against Webb on record.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the additional cases related to firearms that were allegedly stored with Webb and money she accepted as payment for firearms which she allegedly never provided.
Webb abandoned bail on the new cases and they were also postponed to June 26.
Shortly before her arrest, Webb was in the process of closing down her shop in Albany Road.
However, upon inspection, police established that hundreds of firearms registered under her dealer stock were unaccounted for.
“These firearms were traced to a firearms dealer in Sedgefield and have been confiscated. A formal inquiry has been opened pertaining to these firearms,” Naidu said.
However, more firearms are still unaccounted for and Naidu said their whereabouts formed part of the ongoing investigation.