‘Facebook rapist’ hints at court deal

Cape Town-120117-Security at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court was tight as the "Facebook Rapist", Thomas Bester was brought in for his appearance. He peers through the bars of the van as he is driven away. Reporter Caryn Dolley. Picture Jeffrey Abrahams

Cape Town-120117-Security at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court was tight as the "Facebook Rapist", Thomas Bester was brought in for his appearance. He peers through the bars of the van as he is driven away. Reporter Caryn Dolley. Picture Jeffrey Abrahams

Published Jan 18, 2012

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Thabo Bester, the alleged “Facebook rapist”, may enter into an agreement with the State and plead guilty to murdering a model in Milnerton last year.

Bester, 22, of Meadowlands, Soweto, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday under heavy security.

At least six officers of the Department of Correctional Services walked up from the holding cells ahead of Bester and another two, one armed with a rifle, walked closely behind him.

Despite being shackled at the wrists and ankles, Bester shuffled up from the cells with ease, looking relaxed and confident.

He was clean shaven, dressed in a crisp white shirt and blue denim jeans and stood nonchalantly in the dock.

Bester is charged with murdering 26-year-old model Nomfundo Tyulu in a Sunset Beach B&B in September.

During a previous court appearance, it emerged he could face two more charges.

On Tuesday, State prosecutor Natalie Johnson said investigations into the case had not been finalised and that two statements were outstanding.

“The statements regard the (two) additional charges,” Johnson said.

She said the complainants in the matter had to go for trauma counselling and she asked that the case be postponed for the investigation to be completed.

While Johnson was addressing the court, Bester put his hand up, whereupon his legal representative, Wimpie Strauss, consulted him.

Strauss said Bester wanted the postponement to be the final one for investigations to be finalised.

“My instruction is that he’s thinking about making a deal with the State,” he said.

Strauss said Bester could therefore plead guilty.

He said Bester, who was being detained in the maximum security section of Leeuwkop Prison in Johannesburg after he was sentenced in Durban last year for another case, wanted to move to the medium C section of the prison as he wanted to further his studies.

This was not possible in the prison’s maximum security section.

Magistrate Jasthree Steyn granted a remand, but denied Bester’s request for it to be the final remand for investigation to be completed.

Steyn also denied Bester’s request to be moved from the maximum security section of the prison.

When Bester walked from the dock to the holding cells, surrounded by correctional services officers, he smirked.

Outside court, in preparation for Bester’s exit, a traffic vehicle was parked in the road to divert cars.

Correctional services officials also closed off the area where suspects enter and exit official vehicles.

When the van with Bester in the back drove from the court building, photographers pressed up against it trying to get a photograph of him, but Bester kept out of sight.

Only when the van was a few metres away did Bester briefly show his face and look at the photographers.

Bester, suspected of a string of crimes in Durban, Gauteng and Cape Town, was arrested in Alberton, while allegedly kidnapping a woman in October last year.

Weeks later he was sentenced in the Durban Regional Court to 50 years’ imprisonment for raping and robbing two models.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to police, Bester, who allegedly went by at least 13 aliases, the most common being Thomas Bester, had pretended to be a businessman and had targeted young women via Facebook who were interested in modelling and television work.

He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court again on March 7. - Cape Times

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