#TBT: Farm attack: ‘Please Jesus, help us!’
Norman and Anne Brown were grateful to escape with their lives after being accosted by three men on their farm.
Tersia Gopi | 2 days ago
Mr Brown sustained severe injuries to his head and eye durin an attack on his farm.
‘Please Jesus, help us!’ – was the desperate plea Mrs Brown made during an ambushed attack on her and her husband at their farm on the D96.
“It was clear they were after money and guns. Other than an iPod, cellphone and other small items, nothing more was taken.”
“As far as I am concerned, the Lord was with us. I was shocked and traumatised, and I could hardly speak, but, I prayed.”
NEWCASTLE – Remember the elderly couple who stared death in the face after being attacked on their farm last September?
Norman and Anne Brown were grateful to escape with their lives after being accosted by three men in intent on robbery.
The attackers left no stone unturned after ransacking the Brown home of 32 years, in efforts to find the whereabouts of the safe keys.
Mr Brown sustained severe injuries to his hands, ear and head. His eye was also badly damaged.
Fortunately for Mrs Brown, she walked away with a bruise to her eyelid and body pains from the attack.
Their chocolate Labrador, Jessie also suffered a gunshot wound in her attempt to ward off the attack on her owners. Luckily for her, the injury was a mere flesh wound.
Amidst the gunshots and chaos that ensued on that fateful night, Mrs Brown believed it was by the grace of God they survived such an ordeal.
“As far as I am concerned, the Lord was with us. I was shocked and traumatised, and I could hardly speak, but, I prayed.”
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FARM ATTACK: Victims relive the violent invasion
Norman and Anne Brown stared death in the face when they were ambushed at their farm on the D96
Nicole Collett | September 24, 2015
The perpetrators pummelled Norman on the head with the butt of the gun.
Unmasked and armed; three suspects on the prowl in the dead of night.
Norman and Anne Brown stared death in the face when they were ambushed at their farm on the D96 on September 19.
Returning home just after 11.15pm, the Browns noticed an Eskom pole on the property was sparking.
“They reversed and shone their lights; I assume the people who were in the house [intruders] must have seen this. I think this probably made them uneasy,” explained their son, Darrel Brown.
When they arrived at the door, they realised the lights they usually leave on, were off. In their minds, the faulty pole was likely linked to the apparent outage.
Mrs Brown doubled back and switched on a light in one of the flats.
Oblivious to what he was about to walk into, Mr Brown entered their home of 32 years.
The family’s chocolate Labrador, Jessie, bolted into the kitchen; aggressive and on a mission.
“As my dad switched the lights on, two suspects came at him from around the corner,” claimed Darrel. “They instructed him to lie down and a shot went off.”
Outside, Mrs Brown realised what was happening and attempted to contact Darrel.
“One of the suspects came out and grabbed my mother around the neck.”
Jessie rushed to Mrs Brown’s side, desperate to ward off the brutal attack on her owners.
“Two shots were fired, and Jessie was shot,” said Darrel.
The suspects manhandled Mrs Brown into the house. Amid the scuffle, they repeatedly asked the Browns for ‘the keys’.
The suspects pummelled Mr Brown on the head with butt of the gun, kicking and trampling him as blood gushed from the wound.
Mr Brown explained a fourth shot went off, missing him by only a few centimetres.
“My dad got up and they searched his pockets, where they found the car keys that are still missing.
He then saw the third guy, who was hiding around the corner,” alleged Darrel.
The suspects forced the Browns into their bedroom, where they pushed and shoved the elderly couple, again requesting they hand over the keys.
“They obviously agreed to give them the keys, but my father couldn’t remember where he’d left them.”
Ransacking the home, the attackers left no stone unturned in their efforts to find the safe’s key. They managed to physically remove one of the hefty safes, but were unable to crack its iron barriers.
“It is clear they were after money and guns. Other than an iPod, cellphone and other small items, nothing more was taken.”
The perpetrators threatened to kill Mrs Brown, using a hammer they had picked up as their weapon of choice.
“They kept saying to both of us, ‘we’ll shoot you, we’ll shoot you’. One of them told me to sit down, and I told him I couldn’t because I was looking for the keys,” explained a soft-spoken, Mrs Brown.
Mrs Brown began praying aloud, begging God to intervene. She repeated the words, ‘Please Jesus, help us!’
“As far as I am concerned, the Lord was with us. I was shocked and traumatised, and I could hardly speak, but, I prayed.”
The third suspect reappeared briefly and said something that prompted the intruders to make a run for it.
“I locked the bedroom door. They took Norman’s phone in the patio area, but left it behind because the battery had died. Luckily, we keep a charger in the room, and I was able to contact Darrel.”
Darrel and his son, Stephen arrived in separate vehicles within minutes. In the meantime, his wife, Karen, contacted police.
“I phoned one or two of the farmers I could get a hold of and a radio alert went out,” said Darrel. “My main focus was to get there and protect them.”
The suspects escaped on foot and disappeared before police could arrive.
Eventually, more than 40 residents gathered at the Brown estate, united in their support of fellow farmers.
The family was grateful to police, who arrived on scene promptly and showed the utmost compassion and concern towards them.
Ithemba Security staff members walked spoor, hoping to trace the scent of the brazen criminals.
However, their efforts were in vain.
“You always hear about these things , but you never expect it to happen to you. We’re very worried, and unsure whom we can trust,” said Mr Brown.
Mrs Brown sustained bruising to her eyelid, and said her body was very sore.
Mr Brown’s hands, ear and head also are severely bruised. In addition, his eye was badly damaged in the attack.
Regardless, the couple of 54 years remain in good spirits, despite the circumstances.
“Once police had taken the necessary statements, Norman was taken to MediClinic Newcastle, were he got three stitches in his head,” explained Mrs Brown.
Jessie was rushed to Ncandu Animal Clinic, where veterinarians did everything they could to save her life.
The gunshot resulted in a mere flesh wound, and their furry fighter was able to return home on September 21.
The incident is currently subject to investigations, with police following up on every lead possible.
In conclusion, the family thanked the farming community and police for their continued support and assistance.
“Farmers need to start looking at security more seriously; we are sitting ducks,” concluded Darrel.
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