Trent says she was ‘abducted’ by police accusing her of impersonating IPID official

Sarah Jane Trent, forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan's former employee, said she was "abducted" by the police who accused her of impersonating an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) official.

Trent made the allegations while giving evidence before Parliament's ad hoc committee investigating police corruption on Thursday.

Trent and O'Sullivan were both arrested and have described their arrests as unlawful and part of a plot to target them.

The two concluded their evidence before the committee on Thursday.

Trent told Parliament that the Cullinan Magistrates Court issued a warrant of arrest against her in 2017, adding that the warrant was fraudulently obtained.

She testified that in 2017, she was "unlawfully placed under arrest" at the offices of Paul O’Sullivan & Associates for what she said was “pretending to be an IPID officer”.

She told the committee in her written statement that it is her view that she was effectively "kidnapped", owing to the circumstances of the incident.

Trent repeated the claim during her oral evidence.

“On the 10th of February 2017, when a massive group of cops and guns and cars came and abducted me under the auspices of arrest, that's when I was told it was for pretending to be an IPID officer.”

Trent said she provided CCTV video footage of the events and her arrest and asked that it be played before the committee.

TRENT BREAKS DOWN

Trent broke down during her testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee.

Trent was grilled by members of the ad hoc committee about allegedly infiltrating IPID and conducting illegal investigations.

Members of the committee also took her to task for failing to provide provisions in the law which allow private investigators to assist IPID.

Trent took to the witness stand immediately after O’Sullivan gave evidence.

She was questioned by members of the committee about which provisions in the law empowered her and O’Sullivan to conduct investigations on IPID’s behalf.

Committee member Julius Malema asked, “Which law gives IPID such power to go to such a private institution to help with their investigation?”

Trent struggled to give a response, forcing committee member Xola Nqola to step in and ask for the committee to take a break before continuing her evidence.

“Can we take at least five minutes break to calm down. I’m worried that we will not be able to extract evidence from a witness this nervous.”

Trent continued her evidence, denying ever conducting IPID investigations, saying they did mostly research for the police watchdog.