Pietermaritzburg - A man was beaten, stripped naked before a five-litre tin of paint was emptied over his head and then his body was spraypainted with a pressure applicator, the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court heard on Thursday.
Detective Constable Skhumbuso Ngcobo was testifying before magistrate Ashin Singh and opposed applications for bail by two Pietermaritzburg men.
The two men are charged with attempted murder of a Malawian man who was spraypainted white head to foot.
Shadrack Wayne Naidoo, 28, and Avikar Lutchman, 27, are accused of the aggravated assault and attempted murder of Bilaz Asan on January 7.
Asan was allegedly beaten with axes and tools, stripped naked and spraypainted with white enamel paint with the use of a compressor.
Asan spent two days in hospital after his assault. The enamel paint had hardened on his body and glued his lips together.
Nurses could only remove a small amount of the paint.
Lutchman and Naidoo have submitted their bail application in affidavit form which precludes them from being cross-examined by the state.
It is believed that they were angry about the workmanship on a car.
Singh adjourned the applications to January 29 to hear evidence on Asan's state.
Lutchman and Naidoo, who each admitted a previous conviction, are also accused of assaulting mechanic Pilandran Chetty and a 17-year-old girl in Violet Road, Northdale, Pietermaritzburg.
Ngcobo opposed bail because the charges were serious and there were many witnesses.
Singh asked Ngcobo why the work on vehicles was allowed in a residential area and he said that such work was often done in residential areas.
Sapa