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Dave King ready to quit South Africa after gun horror

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Dave King is considering quitting South Africa after telling The Times that he was recently robbed at gun-point.

The son of a Castlemilk policeman moved to South Africa in the seventies where he made his fortune wheeling and dealing in stocks and shares.

By the nineties he was caddying for Gary Player before investing £20m into the old Rangers club that was run at the time by Dave Murray.

King’s wealth soon attracted the attention of the South African tax authorities. After being described as a glib and shameless liar by a judge he opted to pay a massive fine rather than take a 40 year jail term.

In 2015 King led a concert party of the Ibrox tribute act but last year he was cold shouldered by the Takeover Appeal Board and in November announced that he was stepping down as chairman of the Ibrox club in order to spend more time with his family and on his South African business interests.

No date has been given for the robbery but it seems that King is now considering quitting South Africa, covering the incident The Sun explains:

The Times reports that King said that he was ambushed outside his office last Monday by men armed with handguns. The yobs threatened his security guard and office manager before stealing his laptop and expensive Patek Philippe watch – worth thousands.

He said: “As I arrived at the office they came up behind me. There were four guys who had guns and were wearing balaclavas. One of them pointed a gun at my head and another took my watch off my wrist. It was in broad daylight and they were completely brazen.

“I was scared for my life. I said to myself, ‘Let’s not be brave and let’s not be stupid. Whatever you do, don’t agitate them, and let them get away with whatever they want to take.’ One of them said, ‘Where’s your money?’, so I took all my cash out and gave it to them. They took my laptop, my case, my drivers’ licence, diary, phone and all the things I need to function.”

King revealed that both of his daughters had recently been held up at gunpoint – once with his grandchild nearby. Now he’s said that he’s considering leaving South Africa on a permanent basis.

He said: “The lifestyle is very good here. I’m sitting here in the sun and it’s beautiful, but you are now constantly looking over your shoulder. My mood just now is that my kids and grandkids should not be being brought up in South Africa. It’s something the whole family is reflecting on.”

King has still to step down as chairman of the Ibrox club with no prospectus available for the share issue announced at the 2019 AGM.

CLICK HERE for the original story in The Times.

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