Bail hearing for, er, who?

AS MANY as 10 names said to belong to a suspected conman were read out in the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday during his bail application.

“Your worship I have a problem with this man being granted bail because nobody knows who he really is,” said detective constable Chumani Mntumni, the investigating officer on the case involving the accused.

The state believes it is trying Kenton Nark, who has been charged with fraud amounting to R186 000.

It alleges Nark took control of a BMWvehicleworth R160 000 belonging to an East London resident a week ago after falsifying a cash payment online.

He is also alleged to have falsified an online cash payment for an Apple MacBook Pro valued at R26 000 belonging to a Gonubie resident.

Fraud cases were opened at the Fleet street and Gonubie police stations.

The BMW has been recovered but the MacBook not yet.

Nark was arrested inside the Cambridge police station on Saturday afternoon after being linked to the Gonubie case.

At the time of his arrest he was drafting a vehicle trade statement with an unsuspecting victim.

Mntumni told the court that after his fingerprints were taken and sent to the local criminal record centre, it was discovered he was wanted in 17 criminal cases under 10 different aliases in Mossel Bay, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.

He further alerted the court to an additional charge of escaping from lawful custody.

Presiding magistrate Nazeem Joemath inquired what had happened during the escape, to which Mntumni responded: “It was on Tuesday morning your worship.

“My two colleagues and I had booked the accused out so that we could take him to Home Affairs true identity.

“The accused was seated in the back seat of the vehicle with a child lock on. I was smoking outside the vehicle in the police station while we were waiting for a colleague. All of a sudden the vehicle moved and when I looked the accused drove away.”

Joemath then queried: “How did that happen, where were the keys of the vehicle?”

Mntumni said he suspected Nark had pickpocketed him while he was standing outside the vehicle and speaking to him.

“We later re-arrested him in Vincent your worship inside a store. We found him hiding still in leg irons. He bumped a car and a pedestrian and charges have been added,” Mntumni said.

He said bail should not be granted against Nark as he was a flight risk and an unknown person.

Judgment was reserved for today. — to establish his