Child rape accused in court
THE man accused of the rape and murder of 3-year-old Courtney Pieters made his first appearance in court yesterday.
Because he faces a rape charge, the 40-year-old suspect, of Pluto Street in Elsies River, may not be named until he has pleaded.
The man appeared in a packed courtroom at the Goodwood District Court before magistrate Paul Visagie, who adjourned the matter to May 24.
At the start of the proceedings, the magistrate said he had granted media photographers permission to take photographs of the accused in the dock, after being approached in chambers.
Before the commencement of the case, police court orderlies gave stern warnings to both the media as well as the crowded public gallery to remain calm and silent when the accused was brought up a steep flight of steps from the holding cells to the dock.
Prosecutor Adnaand Gelderbloem told the court that it was the man’s first appearance and that he was currently in custody.
According to the charge sheet, he was arrested on May 15.
Legal aid defence attorney Colin Lekay told the court that the accused worked at a call centre and that his arrest for the alleged rape and murder of the toddler had placed his job in jeopardy.
As matters stood, the accused earned more than the maximum required for free legal aid representation.
He said the accused would appeal against his failure to pass the legal aid means test, and the court would know by the time he made his second appearance if his appeal had been successful.
If the accused in fact lost his job, he would be without income and would only then qualify for legal aid, Lekay said.
At Lekay’s request, the court ordered that the accused be held in the hospital section at Goodwood Prison for security reasons, due to death threats he had received.
While the proceedings were in progress, chanting protesters carrying placards lined the street outside the court building. – ANA