Liebenberg in hot water again

SOUTH AFRICAN magazine photographer John Liebenberg has been arrested for a second time in five days for trespassing while trying to capture Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on film.

He appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate’s Court on Friday where Magistrate Sarel Jacobs postponed the trial to May 31. He was granted bail of N$1 000, which was extended to his next court date, and his passport was confiscated.Liebenberg was taken into custody on Wednesday at Swakopmund’s popular Tiger Reef beach bar where the famous Hollywood duo and their children spent the afternoon while security guards circled the area.The open-air bar, situated on municipal grounds on the beach close to the Swakop River mouth, consists mostly of timber and palm leaves and is rented by a local business enterprise.Liebenberg approached the bar on foot from the direction of the main road and was biding his time in a dense patch of reeds when he was discovered by security guards.His claim that he was in a public area fell on deaf ears and the Police were summoned.Liebenberg spent a few hours at the Swakopmund Police station before he was granted bail.His equipment, which was confiscated at the time of his arrest, was returned to him.For Liebenberg the week started and ended in court.On Monday, he was found guilty of trespassing and released with a warning from Magistrate Sarel Jacobs in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court.He was arrested in the Police barracks the previous Friday when trying to get the best vantage point on the adjacent Welwitschia hospital, where Jolie delivered the world’s most eagerly awaited baby.Several other members of the paparazzi corps, all vying for the multi-million-dollar first photo of the baby, had run-ins with the security team.A number of photos were deleted from the camera of a photographer who was found at the Fisheries building that houses the aquarium and another was the target in an off-road chase with four-wheel-drive vehicles that led into the dunes.He was granted bail of N$1 000, which was extended to his next court date, and his passport was confiscated.Liebenberg was taken into custody on Wednesday at Swakopmund’s popular Tiger Reef beach bar where the famous Hollywood duo and their children spent the afternoon while security guards circled the area.The open-air bar, situated on municipal grounds on the beach close to the Swakop River mouth, consists mostly of timber and palm leaves and is rented by a local business enterprise.Liebenberg approached the bar on foot from the direction of the main road and was biding his time in a dense patch of reeds when he was discovered by security guards.His claim that he was in a public area fell on deaf ears and the Police were summoned.Liebenberg spent a few hours at the Swakopmund Police station before he was granted bail.His equipment, which was confiscated at the time of his arrest, was returned to him.For Liebenberg the week started and ended in court.On Monday, he was found guilty of trespassing and released with a warning from Magistrate Sarel Jacobs in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court.He was arrested in the Police barracks the previous Friday when trying to get the best vantage point on the adjacent Welwitschia hospital, where Jolie delivered the world’s most eagerly awaited baby.Several other members of the paparazzi corps, all vying for the multi-million-dollar first photo of the baby, had run-ins with the security team.A number of photos were deleted from the camera of a photographer who was found at the Fisheries building that houses the aquarium and another was the target in an off-road chase with four-wheel-drive vehicles that led into the dunes.