Chasing Shadows: the Life and Death of Peter Roebuck Free

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Investigations into the death of Peter Roebuck have been reopened. Credit: Fairfax Media. It was a death that rocked the cricket world. At 55 years of age, former county cricketer and renowned journalist Peter Roebuck fell from a window of his South African hotel after being arrested over allegations of sexual assault. Cape Town police claimed Roebuck died by suicide. But now, seven years later, investigations into the death of the former Somerset cricket captain and Fairfax Media columnist will begin again. The family's lawyer confirmed on Sunday that the inquest into Roebuck's death had been reopened "at [their] behest". The family were not invited to attend the original, closed, inquest inwhich upheld the police account of events. Roebuck died in November after falling from a sixth-floor hotel room in the Southern Sun hotel in Cape Town, near Newlands cricket ground. Roebuck was dropped at the entrance to the Southern Sun hotel at 8. After entering his room, he was arrested by police investigating allegations of sexual assault made against Roebuck by a young Zimbabwean man. His family, however, did not accept that account. So I said 'I don't believe it'. And Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck never believed it,'' the thenyear-old widow said. She said at the time that the Roebuck family believed that new evidence and new testimony would highlight inconsistencies and impossibilities in the official version of events. The family had gone to great expense and inconvenience to prepare for an inquest, hiring a leading British barrister and a top South African firm of lawyers. Family members were on standby to fly to South Africa to observe and, if necessary, testify at the inquest. But they were not notified of the inquest and discovered it had been held only after reading an article titled 'Sex-charge arrest sparked suicide' in the Sunday Times of South Africa. They said a second inquest would shed new light on the reasons for Roebuck's arrest and the circumstances of his death. In a article for Fairfax Media Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck wrote of "the two possibilities in relation to the dramatic death and the compelling part of the mystery is that they are light years apart". To judge him as one or the other is to run Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck risk of, on one hand, being soft on a sexual predator or, on the other, of adding to a tragic injustice. South African prosecutors reopen inquest into death of cricket journalist Peter Roebuck. The Sydney Morning Herald. Shortly aftwerwards the family began efforts to have that first inquest quashed. Save Log inregister or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article. Nick Miller Facebook Twitter Email. Review: Chasing Shadows: the life and death of Peter Roebuck

It may be comforting to his family and friends to know that Peter Roebuck's final afternoon was spent watching cricket in the company of cricket people. He and Nic Kock, an old friend from Cape Town's University of Western Cape, stayed at the UWC's oval until well after the day's battle had ended, mixing and chatting freely with players in the club rooms. Roebuck even shared a Castle Lager with them. The young cricketers were thrilled to have him in their midst and, as the shadows lengthened, they invited him and Kock to dine with them. Roebuck demurred and asked Kock for a lift back to the hotel. It had been a pleasant afternoon and evening by all accounts. We talked about the future. There was no sense of stress. Peter Roebuck in Credit: Ray Kennedy. Roebuck was dropped at the entrance to Cape Town's Southern Sun hotel at 8. As Kock drove off, at least two policemen were preparing to depart from different stations to rendezvous at the hotel and arrest him. So what exactly had happened in room of the Southern Sun five days earlier? What was it that had so traumatised a young man to move him to file a complaint of sexual assault? And what had led a detective from the Cape Town police to effect an immediate arrest on the alleged perpetrator? For upon learning of the accusation, the police responded in a manner that struck some observers as unusually expeditious in a city weighed down by violent crime. Here was an overtaxed police force, on a weekend, patrolling an urban area with a homicide rate 15 times that of London. Yet within a matter of hours of receiving the brief, the commanding officer had visited the hotel, interviewed the complainant, organised Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck and gone to make an arrest. St Joseph's Orphanage in Harare, where many of those he sponsored spent their early years. The incident in Roebuck's hotel room the previous Monday evening remains a subject of conjecture. We have the alleged victim's statement and speculation from the police, Roebuck's colleagues and his former students. In the days that followed, the victim, a young Zimbabwean named Itai Gondo, went to ground, speaking only to his then girlfriend and turning up at his workplace. He wrote a lengthy message to Roebuck via social media, then cut him off and exchanged a number of text messages with Petros Tani, the pair's mutual friend who'd introduced them — a flurry of communication that ended badly, prompting him to make a formal complaint to police. On the morning of Saturday, November 12,Gondo had been greeted by uniformed officers. Once the gravity of the alleged offence had been outlined, they led him to a meeting room and interviewed him at length. Under oath, this is what he had said: "I am an adult male, a Zimbabwean refugee, 26 years of age, a student. On the between and I arrived at Southern Sun Newlands hotel. Mr Peter Roebuck allowed me into his room He said I must Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck a seat on the couch next to his bed. He asked me to tell him more about myself after what we had discussed on Facebook. After I finished he told me about the student he has been sponsoring. He said I must work hard, he likes discipline, he disciplines hard, he used a cane to discipline if you step out of line. He asked me about my talent. I told him I can fix computers. Mr Pete then said I look thin. I responded that is my metabolism that is like that. He emphasised on male bonding, he then said women won't understand; we as males must bond to be successful. I must be comfortable with him in order Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck have a father-son relationship. Cape Town's Southern Sun hotel, where Roebuck fell from the sixth floor, landing on the concrete awning below. When he noticed that I was uncomfortable, he's said there's nothing sexual about it. It is about openness, that is what he and the other boys are doing. He started hugging me, assuring me that there was nothing wrong He held me Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck with his left hand and holding his penis with his right hand, he put his whole body weight on top of me. He forcibly tried to kiss me, instead he was biting me on my right cheek. I tried to push him over to stop. I was in shock. While pushing off he grabbed my genital parts, that's when I realised he ejaculated all over my stomach. The police photograph of the Southern Sun hotel room: Roebuck was sitting in the chair marked B, a policeman was standing at the spot marked D. I saw Peter Roebuck standing in the window. I screamed at him but he jumped without looking back. I just wiped myself and got dressed and left. While I was leaving he said I must come see him the next day. The day after the incident he tried to contact me via Facebook twice, I didn't respond. I only responded ontelling him he must never contact me. By 5pm, he was at the local police complex at Claremont, where he rang Gondo and arranged to meet. By 7pm, he was in Gondo's Pinelands home, about 10 minutes away from the hotel by car. Another interview was carried out and Facebook communication that had purportedly occurred between Gondo and Roebuck was given to him. After being Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck that the hotel could not state whether Roebuck was in his room or not, McDonald requested the presence of the hotel's security Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck. Together they took the lift to the sixth floor. After the incident in the hotel roomGondo was left reeling. Over the next four days, Tani attempted to placate him after he'd taken the matter to police. He was right about events moving too fast. Roebuck: "Oh well, not too sure what he said. He was a bit strange but he needs a lot of help. Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck needs to call me or other way round. Sometimes things go wrong the first time but you have got to fight back. Tani: "Anyway Dad my advice would be to forget about him. We cannot force him because he doesn't need anything to do with you or us. Roebuck: "Oh he's depressed. Isn't that dangerous? Think he needs to uplift his life. Sometimes I go a bit far in first meetings. I suppose outsiders not used to it Gondo then sent his final message to Roebuck: "You have greatly humiliated me and I feel very violated, disgusted with myself, your acts were of the purest, sickest kind. It makes sense why you pretend to help out orphans, whilst you prey on their financial difficulty for your perverted satisfaction. I shudder to even think what sick sex-related things you're doing to those 17 boys staying with you! I don't need your assistance, I don't shake hands with the devil, Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck bother replying for I will block you after this message. One day the long arm of the law will catch up with your evil misdeeds, rest assured, then all the money in the world won't save you. Roebuck must have felt his world closing in. He Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck to Tani: "Itai has sent me a nasty message and am sick about it. I will try to call him but not sure it's any use. I'm upset, don't tell anyone or they will worry. The security man knocked on the door and it was promptly opened. A warrant was produced and permission to enter requested. Roebuck stepped aside, let the three men in and then sat on his bed. McDonald explained the purpose of their presence. He said Roebuck would be charged with sexual assault. Allegedly, Roebuck responded that he knew "this is about Itai, who visited on Monday". He was then placed under arrest and read his rights. The security official was excused from the room and Roebuck became agitated. He said he was well known in the media and the cricket world and his arrest would be front-page news. He raised the subject of his students in Pietermaritzburg and asked McDonald what was going to happen next. McDonald told him he would be Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck to the Claremont police station and detained in the cells. A formal charge would follow on Sunday and he would appear in court on Monday. The news distressed him. He was permitted to make a call and immediately rang fellow ABC cricket commentator Jim Maxwell, who was staying on the same floor. Something terrible has happened. As Maxwell reached the door of roomMcDonald briefed him in the corridor. Inside, he found a dishevelled Roebuck sitting in a chair by the window, his pants lowered. Peter Roebuck - Wikipedia

Complex, prickly and fiercely independent, Peter Roebuck became known as a first class cricketer in England, Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck to fame internationally as a writer and broadcaster and ultimately divided his time between Australia and South Africa. His long-standing feud with one of the biggest names in the sport was as infamous as it was rancorous. He engendered a widespread and loyal fo. He engendered a widespread and loyal following for fearlessly wading into controversies — match- fixing, corruption, rotten governments — that left him exposed and vulnerable. At the end, he was accused of sexual assault and the nature of his death was horrific. In this uncompromising investigation that spans multiple continents, and features unflinching testimonies from the likes of Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Ian Chappell, Jonathan Agnew and members of the Roebuck family, the authors have pieced together the fragments of an often brilliant yet uneasy life — and reveal how it all unravelled. It was the rest of life he didn't quite master. Tim Lane is a broadcaster and columnist with extensive experience in the electronic and print media. Elliot Cartledge is a writer and editor from Melbourne, Australia who has written extensively about sport, music and travel across the globe. This is his third sports book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Chasing Shadows by Tim Lane. Elliot Cartledge Goodreads Author. He engendered a widespread and loyal Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck Complex, prickly and fiercely independent, Peter Roebuck became known as a first class cricketer in England, rose to fame internationally as a writer and broadcaster and ultimately divided his time between Australia and South Africa. Get A Copy. Kindle Editionpages. More Details Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Chasing Shadowsplease sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jan 07, Brendan rated it it was amazing. To thousands of cricket lovers around the world, Peter Roebuck was known and admired as one of the game's most erudite and informed commentators and observers; a fierce critic of incompetent officials and fearless crusader against corruption; and, formerly, as a professional cricketer of skill and achievement whom many astute judges declare was desperately unlucky never to have played Test cricket for England. But after Roebuck pleaded guilty in to a charge of common assault against three y To thousands of cricket lovers around the world, Peter Roebuck was known and admired as one of the game's most erudite and informed commentators and observers; a fierce critic of incompetent officials and fearless crusader against corruption; and, formerly, as a professional cricketer Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck skill and achievement whom many astute judges declare was desperately unlucky never to have played Test cricket for England. But after Roebuck pleaded guilty in to a charge of common assault against three young African men in his care, darker rumours began to swirl around his life: was there a sinister aspect to his nature; was his passionate commitment to underprivileged youngsters a front for predatory appetites? Or was Roebuck, as he often claimed, a victim of a set-up, framed and discredited by his many powerful enemies in the world of cricket and politics? All these questions came exploding once more into the limelight in November when, while covering the Australian tour of South Africa, Roebuck was charged with the sexual assault of a young Zimbabwean man - a charge to which he responded by committing suicide by jumping from his hotel window. With care and sensitivity for the reputation of a dead man now unable to speak for himself - and yet with an unflinching preparedness to follow the evidence, even if it led to the realisation of unpalatable truths - Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck Lane and Elliot Cartledge try to unravel the enigmatic Gordian Knot that was Roebuck's life: the controversial public figure who shunned human fellowship and personal intimacy; the accomplished cricketer and commentator who Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck assailed by crippling self- doubt and insecurity; the compassionate and generous humanitarian who professed admiration for, and practiced, disciplinary regimes many would consider abusive and inhuman. Regardless of whatever verdict the reader ultimately reaches about Roebuck's guilt or innocence, this is a meticulously researched and investigated book that Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck the terrible tragedy of a complex and tormented life, brilliantly accomplished in some respects, yet piteously deficient in others. Heart-rending in its profoundly human brokenness that never at any stage rationalises or makes excuses, this is a compelling and moving portrait of a tormented soul who remains disturbingly opaque, even in death. What to make of a man's life when that man is careful to shield many aspects of it from his acquaintances? For Peter Roebuck, it seems from this book, had very few people he could truly call friend. Lane and Cartledge have tried - by talking to people who knew him, and by looking closely at the parts of his life where they could manage to find information - to discover what might have led him to throw himself from the window of the Southern Sun Hotel in Capetown in The book looks at his upb What to make of a man's life when that man is careful to shield many aspects of it from his acquaintances? The book looks at his upbringing, and especially at his time at Somerset, where he was a successful player almost in spite of himself, but is possibly best remembered there as the man who got rid of Viv Richards and Joel Garner, which precipitated the departure of Ian Botham. Before heading into murkier territory, his work as a journalist and life in Australia and South Africa are noted. There is no doubt that Roebuck was an intense and odd character. Much has been made of his sexuality, and while Lane and Cartledge have discovered that Roebuck did have at least one important heterosexual relationship, there can be no definitive answers on Roebuck's orientation. However, what seems more important in his makeup is his character. He certainly had strong opinions on what made character, being firmly of the belief that Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck took a major part. This belief led him down a strange path. The authors paint a picture of a man who, whilst obviously very intelligent, had little social sense. Roebuck seemed to have no innate knowledge of, nor does it seem he was inclined to learn, the social graces and give-and-take that make for solid bonds with other people. Some of those interviewed for the book speculate that Roebuck felt a need to be the leader, the one who people looked up to. This could go some way to explaining both what happened at Somerset, where he acquiesced in getting rid of the players that could challenge his leadership, and in the way he ran his "houses" in South Africa, where he dispensed advice and discipline. His journalism too, as he progressed Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck his career, seemed to become more dogmatic and fixed on certain themes, sometimes from an angle that may seem strange to the reader. He no doubt was correct in singling out the corruption in Zimbabwean cricket, but his crusade took little note of the enmities and casualties that he left in his path. All of which is to bring us closer to the moment of his death. Roebuck has a well-developed sense of persecution, and felt that there were forces out to get him. Initially he felt it was Botham and his supporters, but then even the Zimbabwean government seemed to enter his frame. For a highly intelligent, rational man, this was odd behaviour. Roebuck certainly thought it was Botham and his cronies who were behind the assault charge and conviction inwhich shattered him and haunted him for the rest of his life. However, as the authors point out, this is hard to sustain for several reasons. Firstly, it is clear that he did strike the boys, nevermind the issue of consent, and Secondly it is hard to believe that a man who got a First in Law at Cambridge could fail to understand that pleading guilty to a charge means admitting that it occurred. Yet another occasion where Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck intelligent man in other ways failed completely to grasp his situation in a social sense. Despite his anguish at the assault conviction, it doesn't seem to have stopped him from believing that corporal punishment was part of the educative process: as he himself admitted he had "very right wing ideas" about education. It is very hard to get to the bottom of why Roebuck felt it necessary to cane Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck charges. Testimony from many of them suggests that they themselves chose that punishment, rather than be punished by household chores. Henk Lindeque, one of those who brought the earlier charge of assault, claimed that Roebuck wanted to see the welts, which was where sexual issues come into it. Roebuck claimed he only wanted to see the welts to ensure he wasn't caning the boys too hard. The picture of Roebuck built up by the authors leaves the reader thinking that it is just possible that Roebuck was looking dispassionately at his handiwork to gauge whether he was going over the top. The tragedy really is that he seems to have had little awareness of how this might seem to Lindeque and to anyone else who heard about it. Which brings us to his death. Itai Gondo, the man who made the claim of sexual assault that led to Roebuck's death, has been notoriously hard to find, but did make himself available to the authors for interview via Skype. Just as the reader is being led to think that perhaps Roebuck's paranoia might have a grain of truth, and that Gondo's accusations were part of a Zimbabwean government plot, Gondo's testimony sways the mind again, and it Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck that indeed Roebuck may have made an inappropriate advance. And yet, Gondo seems to have done very well for himself since the incident, and how did that happen? There are so many unanswered questions about Roebuck's death that it is hard to know where to start. The authors, I think, put to bed the theory that Roebuck was thrown from the window, and expose the incredibly shoddy police work that surrounded not only the moments of Roebuck's demise, but the subsequent handling of forensic evidence and inquest. Whatever the truth of Gondo's accusations, it seems clear that Roebuck sensed that the hell that was his brush with assault charges was going to happen all over again, and that he couldn't cope with it. He had always been a moody depressive man, prone to extreme reactions to stressful situations, and it's possible he took what he thought was the rational route to end the pain. What we do know by the end of the book is that it didn't have to be that way - Roebuck had people around him that, if he had let them, would have provided him a supportive network of friends, and perhaps even a partner. It's terribly sad that his life ended the way it did, although it is notable that many of the people interviewed for the book felt that Roebuck had been on the path to suicide for some time, if not all his life. Lane and Cartledge have approached this difficult story with perseverence, candour and some heart. It is more than a book about cricket, and more than a book about the death of someone famous. Worth reading. A compelling read which ultimately leaves the reader where they started but armed with more information. The research has been exhaustive and fair to all points of view. There has been no judgment to colour the evidence of all parties but where Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck exists, it has been explained. Lane and Cartledge have captured the essence of this complicated, compassionate, brilliant man but exposed his vulnerability in fairness to telling the full story. One senses the truth is obvious but if it where, A compelling read which ultimately leaves the reader where they started but armed with more information. One senses the truth is obvious but if it where, it would be a rare moment in Roebuck's mysteriously shrouded life.