The case involving serial paedophile Bruce Ehrlich, 54, who is suing the parole board after his parole was revoked in April, was postponed by the Grahamstown High Court on Friday after Ehrlich, who has been representing himself since the start of the trial, cracked during arguments and asked for the court to grant him legal assistance.
He complained that the court papers contained complex content and asked the court to grant him a pro-bono legal attorney to assist him.
Ehrlich had waived his right to state legal representation, despite having been previously told numerous times by the court that it was going to be difficult for him to represent himself.
The court also had to adjourn on Friday because Ehrlich’s handwritten files did not correlate with the court’s files. Correctional services regional commissioner Nkosinathi Breakfast said: “The judge has postponed the matter because the applicant said it was difficult to understand many things.”
The judge advised Ehrlich on where to seek free legal representation such as at the Rhodes law clinic and the Legal Resources Centre.
Advocate Matthew Mpahlwa, who is representing correctional services, was also asked by the judge to speak to the chamber of advocates so that Ehrlich can get legal representation.
Ehrlich was sent back to prison on April 11 after a parole board investigation found he was coaching young boys at the Cambridge Sports Club. One of his parole conditions was that he never teach minors.
Court papers show that Ehrlich has criticised and rejected Legal Aid attorneys during trials so often that the board banned him from getting their services. He has written to the Eastern Cape bar of advocates challenging the ban.
According to court papers, in 2003 the East London Regional Court sentenced Ehrlich to 15 years’ imprisonment after convicting him of 14 counts of indecent assault of minor boys.
He had been convicted of similar offences in Knysna in the early 1990s. Ehrlich has brought six matters to the Grahamstown High Court against the department of correctional services, including challenging the revoking of his parole.
He argues the parole board has limited his liberty unlawfully.
The state is arguing that the matters Ehrlich brought forward relating to winter prison clothing, bad prison food, and a change in his group classification from B to C – meaning he no longer qualified for prison visits, were not too urgent.
However, in court papers Ehrlich maintained that they were “ground breaking” matters and would be of benefit to other prisoners should he win.
He is also suing the correctional services for three contempt of courts. Two matters are set to be argued on November 24.
He claims his QuickPave business in East London is losing money as a result of him being behind bars. One of the conditions of his parole was that he was not allowed to leave the East London magisterial district.
However, he said in court papers that he had left East London in April for a few weeks to attend to his franchise in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
The matter relating to the revoking of the parole has been postponed indefinitely but would be set down as soon as he obtains legal assistance.
The remaining three matters are postponed to February 9 2017 with costs still to be determined.
Paedophile’s parole case postponed as he struggled representing himself
He complained that the court papers contained complex content and asked the court to grant him a pro-bono legal attorney to assist him.
Ehrlich had waived his right to state legal representation, despite having been previously told numerous times by the court that it was going to be difficult for him to represent himself.
The court also had to adjourn on Friday because Ehrlich’s handwritten files did not correlate with the court’s files. Correctional services regional commissioner Nkosinathi Breakfast said: “The judge has postponed the matter because the applicant said it was difficult to understand many things.”
The judge advised Ehrlich on where to seek free legal representation such as at the Rhodes law clinic and the Legal Resources Centre.
Advocate Matthew Mpahlwa, who is representing correctional services, was also asked by the judge to speak to the chamber of advocates so that Ehrlich can get legal representation.
Ehrlich was sent back to prison on April 11 after a parole board investigation found he was coaching young boys at the Cambridge Sports Club. One of his parole conditions was that he never teach minors.
Court papers show that Ehrlich has criticised and rejected Legal Aid attorneys during trials so often that the board banned him from getting their services. He has written to the Eastern Cape bar of advocates challenging the ban.
According to court papers, in 2003 the East London Regional Court sentenced Ehrlich to 15 years’ imprisonment after convicting him of 14 counts of indecent assault of minor boys.
He had been convicted of similar offences in Knysna in the early 1990s. Ehrlich has brought six matters to the Grahamstown High Court against the department of correctional services, including challenging the revoking of his parole.
He argues the parole board has limited his liberty unlawfully.
The state is arguing that the matters Ehrlich brought forward relating to winter prison clothing, bad prison food, and a change in his group classification from B to C – meaning he no longer qualified for prison visits, were not too urgent.
However, in court papers Ehrlich maintained that they were “ground breaking” matters and would be of benefit to other prisoners should he win.
He is also suing the correctional services for three contempt of courts. Two matters are set to be argued on November 24.
He claims his QuickPave business in East London is losing money as a result of him being behind bars. One of the conditions of his parole was that he was not allowed to leave the East London magisterial district.
However, he said in court papers that he had left East London in April for a few weeks to attend to his franchise in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
The matter relating to the revoking of the parole has been postponed indefinitely but would be set down as soon as he obtains legal assistance.
The remaining three matters are postponed to February 9 2017 with costs still to be determined.
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