Durban - Four men who allegedly assaulted and stabbed an ER24 paramedic in Pietermaritzburg last month have been granted bail.
Paramedic Lungelo Ntombela, 25, was stabbed in the face and the right hand.
The four, who allegedly attacked Ntombela and three of his colleagues at the Ohrtmann/Manning Road intersection on September 24, were granted bail by Magistrate Paul von Dongen on Wednesday.
Ivan Francis, 54, the only one of the four who has a previous conviction, was granted bail of R1 000, while his three accomplices, his son, Shayden Francis, 19, Omega Nzimande and Rakesh Sadhew, 41, all of Northdale in Pietermaritzburg, were granted bail of R500 each.
They are charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The charge sheet reflects that the men attacked Ntombela with a knife, a baseball bat and clenched fists.
The state indicated it was not opposed to bail as the investigating officer had verified the accused’s physical addresses and their criminal profiles.
The court heard that Ivan Francis had a previous conviction for violating a protection order in 2013, and received a five-year sentence, wholly suspended for five years.
The state alleges that while transporting patients from a separate incident to hospital on September 24, the ER24 paramedics came across another collision between two vehicles.
When they tried to assist the victims, the four suspects, from one of the vehicles involved in the collision, allegedly began verbally abusing them. Later the men allegedly began assaulting the paramedics.
Daily News