Perly suspect gets a let off

Court rules bail conditions not contravened after girlfriend kicked him out

AN employee of alleged perlemoen syndicate head Julian Brown was nabbed for a second time in a matter of months for breaching his bail conditions, but this time Eugene “Boesman” Victor claimed he was not at his home when he was supposed to be because his girlfriend had kicked him out.

The excuse bagged him a third chance at freedom, with the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court finding yesterday that his bail conditions did not specify that he needed to inform the police should he opt to change his address.

Defence attorney Paul Roelofse had also argued that Victor had good cause not to be at the Kensington address because his girlfriend told him he was no longer welcome there.

After about two weeks in custody, Victor, 33, walked out of court yesterday a free man.

Victor was rearrested on April 18 when he appeared in the Port Elizabeth High Court on a charge of racketeering alongside Brown.

It is alleged they – together with other accused – ran a multimillion-rand perlemoen syndicate. They will stand trial in August. After a lengthy bail application in July, Victor was released on bail of R10 000 on condition that he report to his nearest police station twice a week and that he remain under house arrest between 6pm and 6am at his house in Kensington.

Then, in January, he was rearrested for staying out past his 6pm curfew and for also not signing in at his nearest police station.

In that matter, Victor conceded to wrongdoing and received a suspended sentence of six months’ imprisonment.

But yesterday, he was adamant that he had done nothing wrong.

Sergeant Armien Humphries, of the Organised Crime Unit, testified that they went to Victor’s address on April 6, only to be told by his girlfriend’s daughter that he no longer lived there.

Humphries said that in the two weeks that followed, Victor failed to inform investigating officer Captain Kanna Swanepoel of his whereabouts.

“He had a very good relationship with the investigating team,” Humphries said.

“He would inform us if he needed to stay late at work and once he even phoned Swanepoel to ask if he could go out to dinner.”

Roelofse argued that the onus was on the state to prove Victor was in contravention of his bail conditions.

He said Victor had continued to conform to his bail condition times at his new address in Sydenham.