Abbie Phillipson

Abbie Phillipson (1931 - 2011)

Brief overview:

Abbie (80). Two men saw an elderly woman in her yard yesterday morning from their employer's roof in Krugersdorp. Maxwell Nsube (41) and Bob Metshe (40) heard Abbie Phillipson (80) screaming. They went to the neighbour, Joekie Rautenbach (70). Rautenbach said she asked the workers to get on the roof and see what was going on. Nsube said as they looked into the yard, Phillipson's gardener, known simply as Star, was standing over her and he was covering her mouth with adhesive tape. Rautenbach called the police, "but when no one answered, I called my son Louis and asked to call his neighbourhood watch". Members of the Mindalore neighbourhood watch were on the scene within minutes. According to Capt. Police spokesman Jacob Raboroko said Star tried to strangle Phillipson with a shoelace before forcing a rag in her mouth and sticking it with tape. She was found in the outside room. “She was still alive and breathing through her nose, but died minutes later when the paramedics arrived, ”Raboroko said. Police found Star in Phillipson's garden where he was hiding. He was arrested for the murder and Phillipson's jewelry was found in the lawnmower bin. Phillipson's daughter, Elaine Ackerman (54) said her mother, who worked for many years as a cashier with the Roodepoort City Council, has been living alone in her home since her father's death in 2003. She said Star worked as a gardener for more than three years for five families in the area.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack:
  • 18th January 2011
• Weapons:
• Items Stolen:
  • Jewellery, Mobile phone
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
  • Capt. Police spokesman Jacob Raboroko
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions: One
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s: Star (gardener)
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction

Additional Biographical Information:

Links to Media articles:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20110121034339/http://www.beeld.com/Sui...
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000097020872885