Johannesburg - Eighty criminal charges, including rape, assault and malicious damage to property – have been laid against a Dainfern father by his estranged wife.
The woman alleges that she suffered three-and-a-half years of continuous physical, verbal and psychological abuse. Beatings and death threats, unwanted sexual encounters and destroying the interior of the home they shared after she fled the alleged abuse are some of the accusations against the man. But his lawyer has denied the charges.
Patricia* has spent months with prosecutors putting together the massive affidavit that would reflect the damage Alistair* has allegedly caused to her and her three-year-old son between 2009 and 2013. She has tried to find evidence for each and every one of the 80 charges, from medical reports and hospital logs to e-mails and text messages and photos of her injuries.
On Tuesday, the man handed himself over to the police, and on Wednesday appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court for what was originally meant to be a bail hearing. But the matter could not be heard as it was among the many cases postponed due to a three-day water shortage at the court.
Alistair’s lawyer, Marco Lamberti, told magistrate Hombakazi Thwele that his client’s rights had been impinged by the postponement and that the State’s request for a further seven days would mean Alistair could lose his job if he remained in police custody. He said his client would suffer unduly if the bail application was not attended to urgently.
Lamberti read into the court record the Bill of Rights sections that say an accused has the right to appear before a court within 48 hours of his arrest.
Thwele interjected and asked prosecutor Dinesh Nandkissor for his input. Nandkissor said the State opposed bail. Lamberti was not impressed. The defence accused Patricia of trumping up the charges as part of a bid to maintain custody of their child.
But the magistrate appeared unsympathetic.
The Randburg court proceedings are set to continue on Wednesday. Lamberti said he would take Thwele’s decision to the high court for bail purposes.
*Not their real names
The Star