Three young men charged with the attempted murder of a Cape Town cleaning woman outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in October last year appeared briefly in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Former Selborne College pupils Mitchell Turner, 20, Chad de Matos, 19, and Aaron Mack, 20, were represented by top defence attorney William Booth, who told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he was seeking to have the case withdrawn.
The men had also been charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after cleaner Delia Adonis, 52, claimed she was viciously attacked by five men and that her son Tesh-Lee had stopped her from being beaten.
Yesterday prosecutor Nathan Johnson requested magistrate Xoliswa Ndoyana to postpone the case to March 26 for further investigation and to hold an identity parade.
“I said I had no objection to the investigation, but that the identity parade will be irregular because everyone in Southern Africa has seen (the boys’) pictures and they have also been on social media.”
The docket has been forwarded to the senior prosecutor in the Wynberg regional court and also the director of public prosecutors in the Western Cape.
Booth said another two boys – who also attended Selborne College – had also been present in court yesterday, but had not appeared because they had not been added to the court roll.
Booth said independent witnesses had emerged which had “painted a different picture” of what happened outside the club.
“It was not a racist situation and they (the young men) will be laying a criminal case of assault against Adonis and her son.”
Booth said the three young men should not have been arrested before investigations had been conducted and witnesses sought.
“They have been threatened and traumatised – people have made comments on social media without knowing the truth.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Ex-Selbornians appear in court
Former Selborne College pupils Mitchell Turner, 20, Chad de Matos, 19, and Aaron Mack, 20, were represented by top defence attorney William Booth, who told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he was seeking to have the case withdrawn.
The men had also been charged with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after cleaner Delia Adonis, 52, claimed she was viciously attacked by five men and that her son Tesh-Lee had stopped her from being beaten.
Yesterday prosecutor Nathan Johnson requested magistrate Xoliswa Ndoyana to postpone the case to March 26 for further investigation and to hold an identity parade.
“I said I had no objection to the investigation, but that the identity parade will be irregular because everyone in Southern Africa has seen (the boys’) pictures and they have also been on social media.”
The docket has been forwarded to the senior prosecutor in the Wynberg regional court and also the director of public prosecutors in the Western Cape.
Booth said another two boys – who also attended Selborne College – had also been present in court yesterday, but had not appeared because they had not been added to the court roll.
Booth said independent witnesses had emerged which had “painted a different picture” of what happened outside the club.
“It was not a racist situation and they (the young men) will be laying a criminal case of assault against Adonis and her son.”
Booth said the three young men should not have been arrested before investigations had been conducted and witnesses sought.
“They have been threatened and traumatised – people have made comments on social media without knowing the truth.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos