Dropping of charges incenses victim

A MANENBERG mother is crying foul after hearing that an attempted murder case against three young men accused of assaulting and racially abusing her has been withdrawn.

Chad De Matos, 19, Aaron Mack, 20, and Mitchell Turner, 20, faced charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and crimen injuria after Delia Adonis, 52, a cleaner at Stadium On Main in Claremont, was allegedly attacked in the shopping centre’s parking lot on October 17 last year.

On Wednesday, the director of public prosecution’s office (DPP) advised defence attorney William Booth that the State had decided not to prosecute.

The DPP’s decision came after Booth had made submissions that there was no prospect of a successful prosecution.

Two other young men implicated in the incident‚ who have not been charged‚ will also not be prosecuted.

Adonis is seeking legal advice to have the DPP’s decision reviewed, and she will also approach the Internal Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

“It’s totally unfair how the law has failed us. How could the case be withdrawn?

“Something is not right about this. Where did I get my bruises from? Those boys almost killed me,” she said.

On the night of October 17, Adonis had allegedly witnessed the five men leave Tiger Tiger nightclub and attack another patron in Main Road. She allegedly assisted the victim, then went to the parking lot to have a smoke. In her statement, Adonis said the men had confronted her afterwards.

Adonis’ son Tesh-Lee, 17, who also works at the mall, came down to ask her for storeroom keys.

Tesh-Lee said he heard the men calling her a “coloured b****, a coloured c*** and a coloured mother******” before brutally attacking her.

In reporting the matter, Adonis claimed she had been subjected to attempts to silence her.