Court rejects kidnap guilty plea

File photo

File photo

Published Jun 24, 2015

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Durban - A court has refused to accept the guilty pleas of one of the men accused of kidnapping Underberg businessman Mohsin Patel.

Nasir Ally, 25, a Pakistani citizen charged with kidnapping and contravening the Immigration Act for being in the country illegally, had attempted to enter into a plea agreement with the State on Tuesday, however Pietermaritzburg Regional Magistrate Bhekizitha Phoswa declined to accept the plea agreement.

He said Ally had not admitted all the elements of the crime of kidnapping.

In his plea, which was read into the record, Ally said in July 2013, after being invited, he travelled by taxi to Port Shepstone and arrived at a house in Shelly Beach where his friend lived.

When he got there, he was taken to the back of the house and into a little room where they came upon a man sleeping on a bed. He was told the man on the bed had been kidnapped.

Ally said his friend confirmed that he and other men in the house had executed the kidnapping.

The friend told Ally he had called him to Port Shepstone to take care of the victim.

Ally agreed to do this as he had just arrived in South Africa from Pakistan and was not employed. Ally said he spent four days in the house in Shelly Beach taking care of Patel.

Phoswa said he was not satisfied Ally had admitted the elements of kidnapping, as he had not physically kidnapped the victim, but only arrived at the house in Shelly Beach 14 days later.

Phoswa entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Ally, and the case was adjourned to July 23.

Ally is charged with four of his Pakistani countrymen, Khalid Amin, 35, Atif Nasim, 32, Sikander Akhder, 35, Nadeem Akhder, 35, and two Pietermaritzburg SAPS flying squad members, Jasandra Supal, 42, and Sizwe Mkhize, 30.

The are charged in connection with the alleged abduction of Patel, who was held captive for 22 days by alleged business rivals.

Daily News

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