Warren Vorster, the man accused of murdering his domestic worker's grandson, is in urgent need of therapy.
Successfully arguing that his client fulfilled all the necessary criteria for bail to be granted on a schedule five offence, Advocate Laurance Hodes said Vorster had been extremely fond of the boy and had already expressed his condolences to the child's grandmother and mother, Elizabeth and Florence Ramolefe.
Vorster was granted bail of R5 000 at his first appearance in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday. The case was postponed to July 30 for further investigation.
Vorster was released after being in custody since Tuesday night, when he allegedly shot and killed 12-year-old Kgopotso William Ramolefe.
Continues Below ↓
Kgopotso had been watching TV in his grandmother's outside room while she was cooking their supper in the main house. He started screaming and calling for her, prompting her to call on her employer for assistance.
Vorster grabbed his hunting rifle and fired a shot through the window of the outside room. Kgopotso was hit in the head and died.
In an affidavit read to the court by Hodes, Vorster stated that he had no previous convictions, had married his wife Caroline in 2004 and was the father of Matthew, 4, and 18-month-old Dylan.
Vorster said he lived in the Parkmore home where the shooting took place, the premises from which he ran his car branding business.
Vorster said his release from custody would not pose a danger to the public, he was not a flight risk, and he would not destroy evidence or jeopardise the judicial process.
He said on Tuesday night that he was busy bathing his sons when his domestic worker, Lizzie, called him for help.
He immediately called Coin Security because there had been a recent violent incident in his home as well as other homes in the neighbourhood.
Vorster claims he fired a warning shot "to protect Kgopotso", whom he was fond of, and this incident now left him in dire need of therapy.
He had expressed his condolences to Lizzie and her daughter Florence. He had been in custody since the shooting and had given his full co-operation to the police.
"All my emotional, financial and familial interests are in this court district," Vorster said.
An affidavit by Inspector Derek McIntosh said: "On Tuesday at 8.10pm I was on duty with Inspector Phillips and we attended a housebreaking in progress. We received a second call of a shooting.
"We were met at the gate by Caroline Vorster, who said a child had been shot. She directed us to an outside room, used as domestic quarters," McIntosh stated.
"I entered the room and an adult male, Warren Vorster, was performing chest compressions on the child, who had a bullet wound to the forehead.
"He had shot the child by accident with a wind-bolt action hunting rifle in the head."
Prosecutor Gary Famanda read out a statement by Elizabeth Ramolefe, who said she had heard her grandson screaming in the room and ran to the house to call Vorster, who called Coin Security. She then looked out at her room.
"I could see my grandson screaming and calling my name. My employer shot in the direction of my grandson."
Vorster went to the room while she stayed at the kitchen door. He told her not to come to the room, as the child had been shot in the head and was dead.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on July 03, 2009
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
