Cape Town - A group of Ravensmead residents on Wednesday protested outside the Bellville Magistrate’s Court, calling for the court to refuse a 41-year-old Mitchells Plain father’s release on bail, as he stands accused of raping a 17-year-old girl.
The 41-year-old driver, who has 14 previous convictions and is wanted for charges in Johannesburg, yesterday brought a bail application through his lawyer, Sameer Sayeed, after he was charged with rape, kidnap and intimidation five months after the alleged incident.
Detective Chantel Klein on Wednesday took the stand to oppose his release on bail. She testified that according to the victim, the incident took place on April 30 in Ravensmead where the girl had been drinking at a party with friends.
Klein said the victim was still sober when the accused offered her a drink, which she accepted. Shortly after taking the drink, she started feeling unwell and departed from the party.
As she was walking home, the 41-year-old approached her in his car and offered her a lift. The victim got into the vehicle, and at that stage she blacked out. She woke up the next morning at a lodge in Bellville with her cellphone and shoes missing.
Klein further said the victim went home to her mother, and the incident was reported to the police the same day. She said the accused sent a family member to return the shoes and the cellphone to the victim.
He approached the victim’s family days after the incident and threatened that if anything were to happen to his brother, he would hurt everyone in the house.
In an affidavit read out by Sayeed, the accused denied the allegations, claiming that he and the girl had agreed to go to the lodge together, where they had consensual sex. He said that he had been injured in a botched hijacking, and due to his injuries was unable to kidnap or abduct anybody.
He further claimed that the victim had tried to extort money out of him by demanding R50 000 in exchange for dropping the charges.
Magistrate Collin Jacks said that after questioning Klein on the investigation he needed clarity on the details of the matter, such as video footage evidence, and whether the accused had been told by the previous detective that there was no case against him.
He adjourned to October 5.