Cape Town - A police constable who was arrested last Friday afternoon at the Strand police station, where he is based, was released on bail when he appeared in court on Monday.
Regan Truter, 34, was deployed as a court orderly at the Strand Magistrate's Court. On Monday, he was brought from the holding cells, to step into the dock as an arrested person, in Court “A”, the very same courtroom where he is deployed as a court orderly.
He appeared before magistrate Karen Scheepers, who released him on R5 000 bail, fixed by agreement between prosecutors advocate John Ryneveld and Doreen van Zyl, and Truter's privately-funded defence attorney, Lawrence Moffitt.
Truter is charged with dealing in drugs, and is alleged to have smuggled narcotics to prisoners in custody. He also faces charges of corruption, and the illegal possession and sale of police ammunition. He was warned to appear in court again on October 20.
Only last Friday, two police sergeants, also based at the Strand police station, appeared in court, in two different cases. Both face two charges of corruption each, following their arrests last Wednesday. The first to be arrested last week was Roger Thomas, 37, at about 3.30pm, at his home in the Strand. In addition to the corruption charges, he also faces charges relating to his illegal possession of two firearms that were not registered in his name.
About an hour later, police from the Anti-Corruption Unit pounced on Denvil Davids, 39, in his office at the Strand police station.
Both appeared, the one after the other, before magistrate Scheepers, who released them on R5 000 bail, and warned them to also appear in court again on October 20.
After his arrest in his office, police took Davids to his home, where they confiscated two plates that form part of police bullet-proof vests. It is alleged that Davids was unable to explain his possession of the plates, and this will be formulated into a third charge against him.
African News Agency