Brangelina guard faces assault case

THE High Court on Wednesday authorised the arrest of a member of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s security group.

Tattooed bodyguard Mickey Brett is accused of assaulting a Walvis Bay restaurant owner, Theuns Duvenhage, on May 25 on the road between Langstrand, where Jolie and Pitt have lived for the past two months, and Walvis Bay. With Brett not being Namibian, and Duvenhage claiming to have been informed that Pitt and Jolie are set to leave Namibia within the next few days and with their bodyguards expected to leave with them, Duvenhage approached the High Court with an urgent application to authorise Brett’s arrest.That step would have been to establish the court’s jurisdiction over Brett, since he is not a citizen or resident of the country.Acting Judge Collins Parker issued the urgent order authorising Brett’s arrest on Wednesday morning.The arrest was not carried out, however, Duvenhage’s lawyer, Piet Burger, said on enquiry from Swakopmund later on Wednesday.Burger said the contemplated arrest was abandoned after Brett deposited security with his own legal representatives at the coast.The security is a sum of money that should cover Duvenhage’s claim, if he succeeds with his legal action against Brett.In an affidavit filed with the High Court in support of the urgent application, Duvenhage claims he suffered possible permanent damage to his right eye in the alleged assault.He charges that Brett, one Johan Kotze, who is also reported to have been employed to organise a security cordon around the celebrity couple, and an unnamed male Police officer assaulted him on May 25.Duvenhage claims the attack happened after his vehicle, with which he was driving from Langstrand to Walvis Bay, was forced off the road by a vehicle that Brett and companions turned out to have been driving in.Brett “hastened himself to me and unexpectedly hit me with his fist in the face”, Duvenhage claims.”I fell down and the remaining two males joined (Brett) in an assault on me, hitting and kicking me.This went on for some time before they stopped.Only after lying some time on the ground, was I allowed to get up,” Duvenhage claims in the affidavit.He had spent the day at Langstrand with friends and his family, and during the day had encountered four apparent members of the Brangelina security troupe, including Brett, who promptly shooed him and a companion away.That had been “some distance from an area to our left cordoned off with safety tape,” Duvenhage states.He admits that he did not take kindly to this instruction to shoo off: “I realised that it should be the safety entourage of the two celebrities who were in the area.I was annoyed by their behaviour, showed them an insulting sign and drove off.”Duvenhage informed the court that he intends to sue Brett for N$60 000, of which N$15 000 will be for past and future medical expenses as a result of the alleged assault, and the rest will be for other damages that he claims to have suffered.With Brett not being Namibian, and Duvenhage claiming to have been informed that Pitt and Jolie are set to leave Namibia within the next few days and with their bodyguards expected to leave with them, Duvenhage approached the High Court with an urgent application to authorise Brett’s arrest.That step would have been to establish the court’s jurisdiction over Brett, since he is not a citizen or resident of the country.Acting Judge Collins Parker issued the urgent order authorising Brett’s arrest on Wednesday morning.The arrest was not carried out, however, Duvenhage’s lawyer, Piet Burger, said on enquiry from Swakopmund later on Wednesday.Burger said the contemplated arrest was abandoned after Brett deposited security with his own legal representatives at the coast.The security is a sum of money that should cover Duvenhage’s claim, if he succeeds with his legal action against Brett.In an affidavit filed with the High Court in support of the urgent application, Duvenhage claims he suffered possible permanent damage to his right eye in the alleged assault.He charges that Brett, one Johan Kotze, who is also reported to have been employed to organise a security cordon around the celebrity couple, and an unnamed male Police officer assaulted him on May 25.Duvenhage claims the attack happened after his vehicle, with which he was driving from Langstrand to Walvis Bay, was forced off the road by a vehicle that Brett and companions turned out to have been driving in.Brett “hastened himself to me and unexpectedly hit me with his fist in the face”, Duvenhage claims.”I fell down and the remaining two males joined (Brett) in an assault on me, hitting and kicking me.This went on for some time before they stopped.Only after lying some time on the ground, was I allowed to get up,” Duvenhage claims in the affidavit.He had spent the day at Langstrand with friends and his family, and during the day had encountered four apparent members of the Brangelina security troupe, including Brett, who promptly shooed him and a companion away.That had been “some distance from an area to our left cordoned off with safety tape,” Duvenhage states.He admits that he did not take kindly to this instruction to shoo off: “I realised that it should be the safety entourage of the two celebrities who were in the area.I was annoyed by their behaviour, showed them an insulting sign and drove off.”Duvenhage informed the court that he intends to sue Brett for N$60 000, of which N$15 000 will be for past and future medical expenses as a result of the alleged assault, and the rest will be for other damages that he claims to have suffered.