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Additional Suspects: More arrests imminent in penguin case

By Tanya Jonker-Bryce

EAST LONDON -- At least four additional suspects in the aquarium penguin killings here have been identified, and further arrests are imminent.

"We believe up to seven people were involved," Eastern Cape police spokesperson Superintendent Marinda Mills said yesterday. "This investigation is far from over."

A 16-year-old girl and two Summerpride men aged 18 and 19 were arrested on Friday in connection with the killing of nine penguins and two pelicans two months ago.

Mills yesterday downplayed media speculation that the suspects already arrested were involved in satanism.

"There is no evidence linking these three people to satanism. We are not ignoring the possibility, and all leads are being follow up, but at this stage it is still very premature to speculate about a motive, as there has been no indication from any of the suspects arrested that satanism played any part."

It was also learnt yesterday that an internal investigation is likely to be launched into what Mills described as a potentially serious breach of sensitive police information.

She said some information known only to the police had somehow fallen into third party hands, and had been used in one of the non-official investigations into the killings.

Both Carte Blanche and Special Assignment, news programmes broadcast on SABC and M-Net respectively, had sent news teams here to probe the killings.

A local private investigator, Christiaan Botha, has also been involved, having offered his services free of charge. Botha is a police reservist.

"We did have a breach of security, with sensitive police information somehow leaking out," Mills said.

"We have to view this in a serious light, and this will have to be investigated internally once the criminal case has been concluded.

"We will also have to look again at the involvement of police reservists in cases to which they have not been formally assigned."

Mills said all information gathering during official police investigations was considered confidential.

"A breach of this nature is very serious because people put their trust in us when they give us statements."

Mills said the rumours of satanism emanated from a single witness, who suggested to police, and probably to the TV teams, that some of the suspects not yet arrested may have had some links to satanism.

"None of the people already arrested indicated satanism as a motive, and it would be irresponsible to assume that there is definitely a link, based on one unsubstantiated report."

The girl is due to appear in court again tomorrow.

The two men were released pending further investigation.

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