Pretoria - It wasn’t clear whether the man who wreaked havoc in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court would face additional charges after he inexplicably stripped naked and brought proceedings to a halt.
A video of the man went viral on Facebook on Monday, in which he was seen walking on top of the magistrate’s bench, throwing out files, papers, ruler and the chair. His mother could be heard praying in the background while other people stood and watched.
The video had amassed close to 20 000 views on Facebook before it was taken down. The man allegedly escaped from the holding cells of the court prior to his appearance on a charge of malicious damage to property. The charge related to an incident in which he allegedly broke windows at a KFC.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku was previously quoted saying the accused was remanded in custody and would be taken to a district surgeon to be assessed as he did not appear to be of sound mind.
However, Mfaku could yesterday not confirm whether the accused was receiving medical attention or if charges would be added. “At the moment all I know is that he was meant to have made an appearance, but did not appear (on Monday) to be of sound mind. I am still waiting for the prosecutor to get back to me with an update,” he said.
Dr Johan Burger, of the Institute for Security Studies, said the accused should be charged with public indecency and contempt of court for he disrupted the court.
“The magistrate should have instructed the court orderlies to put him in custody if court was in session,” Burger said.
“If court was not in session, it would have been the responsibility of the orderly to act and prevent him from doing what he was doing.”
Burger added that if there was a potential serious threat to members of the public who were present during the incident, the orderlies should have acted in manner that would protected the dignity of the court, while ensuring the safety of those who were present in court.
A clerk at the court who was present during the incident told the Pretoria News the accused had been disruptive in the holding cells.
“He was meant to have gone home because we heard that charges were going to be withdrawn as there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute him,” said the clerk.
She said his behaviour compelled the court to change its decision and keep him in custody. “His mother said he was a student in one of the tertiary institutions in Pretoria and that he was due to write an exam on Tuesday. She said he started acting strangely during the week leading to his arrest.”
Pretoria News