A Former Grade 7 teacher at Clarendon Primary School who was arrested and charged with rape and sexual assault on Wednesday morning is in custody after the state opposed bail yesterday.
He will be held in custody at Fleet Street police station until his formal bail application on Tuesday.
The man no longer teaches at the school, having resigned his post after being suspended by the governing body as soon as the allegations came to light earlier this year.
Dressed in dark pants, a maroon jersey, beige sports jacket and with spectacles suspended round his neck, the tall 64-year-old man, who may not be named until he has pleaded, appeared composed as he stood in the dock.
He occasionally turned around to glance at the gallery, but appeared to have no friends or relatives in court.
He was charged with two charges of sexual assault and one of rape.
The complainant in one of the sexual assault charges is a minor teenage girl who was allegedly groomed over a period of time.
Magistrate Robyn Tyler postponed the case to July 6 for further investigation, but transferred the case to another court when the state opposed bail.
Prosecutor Cynthia Mulindi said further investigation was required to complete the three dockets.
This included the acquirement of forensic evidence, an outstanding witness statement, the compilation of a crime scene “photo album” and photos from Google maps.
After the lunch adjournment the accused appeared in Court B where his attorney, Roger Smith, requested the formal bail application be held as soon as possible.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” he asked.
But magistrate Nceba Madlavu said all the courts were “packed” and the earliest date was Tuesday.
Smith also requested his client be held in the Fleet Street Police Station holding cells where consultation with his client would be easier.
Meanwhile, Clarendon Primary parents yesterday received a letter from principal Pam King saying the teacher’s recent “sudden departure” had caused many parents to be “taken aback and left wondering what had happened”.
The teacher’s name was not mentioned in the letter, nor were the allegations against him.
King wrote that she was “unfortunately not at liberty to make a statement at the time because the matter was under investigation and much of what has since been uncovered, and the extent of this, had not yet been established”.
“The fact of the matter is that very serious allegations were made and a decision was made to take immediate action in the interests of our school generally and our pupils in particular.
“This being the case, the governing body suspended the teacher concerned with immediate effect.
“Soon after this he tendered his resignation.”
King wrote that this had been a difficult time at the school and that she and her staff would “really value support and understanding of everyone in the Clarendon Primary family”. — barbarah@ dispatchlive.co.za/
Rape-accused EL teacher’s bail hearing delayed
He will be held in custody at Fleet Street police station until his formal bail application on Tuesday.
The man no longer teaches at the school, having resigned his post after being suspended by the governing body as soon as the allegations came to light earlier this year.
Dressed in dark pants, a maroon jersey, beige sports jacket and with spectacles suspended round his neck, the tall 64-year-old man, who may not be named until he has pleaded, appeared composed as he stood in the dock.
He occasionally turned around to glance at the gallery, but appeared to have no friends or relatives in court.
He was charged with two charges of sexual assault and one of rape.
The complainant in one of the sexual assault charges is a minor teenage girl who was allegedly groomed over a period of time.
Magistrate Robyn Tyler postponed the case to July 6 for further investigation, but transferred the case to another court when the state opposed bail.
Prosecutor Cynthia Mulindi said further investigation was required to complete the three dockets.
This included the acquirement of forensic evidence, an outstanding witness statement, the compilation of a crime scene “photo album” and photos from Google maps.
After the lunch adjournment the accused appeared in Court B where his attorney, Roger Smith, requested the formal bail application be held as soon as possible.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” he asked.
But magistrate Nceba Madlavu said all the courts were “packed” and the earliest date was Tuesday.
Smith also requested his client be held in the Fleet Street Police Station holding cells where consultation with his client would be easier.
Meanwhile, Clarendon Primary parents yesterday received a letter from principal Pam King saying the teacher’s recent “sudden departure” had caused many parents to be “taken aback and left wondering what had happened”.
The teacher’s name was not mentioned in the letter, nor were the allegations against him.
King wrote that she was “unfortunately not at liberty to make a statement at the time because the matter was under investigation and much of what has since been uncovered, and the extent of this, had not yet been established”.
“The fact of the matter is that very serious allegations were made and a decision was made to take immediate action in the interests of our school generally and our pupils in particular.
“This being the case, the governing body suspended the teacher concerned with immediate effect.
“Soon after this he tendered his resignation.”
King wrote that this had been a difficult time at the school and that she and her staff would “really value support and understanding of everyone in the Clarendon Primary family”. — barbarah@ dispatchlive.co.za/
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