Cape Town - Manenberg residents will have to wait two more weeks to find out whether the two men accused of raping and murdering little Chanelle McCrawl, 10, will be released on bail.
The girl’s uncle, Carlo de Kock, and neighbour, Stanton Mano, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court for the sixth time on Tuesday as their lawyers made closing arguments in their bail hearing.
Manenberg aunties filled the courtroom and protested outside, calling for bail to be denied.
Chanelle’s bludgeoned body was discovered on the banks of the Vygieskraal River on 20 October last year.
SUSPECT: Carlo de Kock, uncle of the deceased
She had been reported missing a day earlier after she failed to arrive at school.
De Kock and Mano were subsequently arrested and charged with her rape and murder and last week the duo told the court they would be pleading not guilty.
It has also been revealed that the two men were watching porn and smoking drugs in De Kock’s house on the morning the girl went missing.
On Tuesday, State prosecutor Shahida Poole explained a witness saw Chanelle walking in the direction of De Kock’s home that morning and that it was part of her daily routine to collect her younger cousins and take them to a local feeding scheme for breakfast.
Stanton Mano
However, on the day she went missing her cousins had already left with their mother, but De Kock was at home.
Poole also corrected a statement made in the investigating officer’s report which stated that semen had been found on the girl’s underwear.
She explained an email from the forensic laboratory confirmed semen was, in fact, found on the girl’s trousers and that further testing would be done to establish to whom it belonged.
Poole says according to the post-mortem report, Chanelle had injuries to her head, neck and private parts.
“There were injuries to the head, neck and genitals. Under the genital organs there was a large vaginal laceration measuring 16mm in length,” said Poole.
One aunty started crying when she heard of the genital injuries, saying: “ Yoh, this is sad. I can’t listen.”
GRIM: Chanelle’s body was found on the banks of the Vygieskraal River in October a day after going missing
Mano’s lawyer, Rustin Ravat, argued that the State’s evidence against his client was weak as he is only mentioned in one paragraph of the investigating officer’s report.
Poole, however, said witnesses placed Mano at De Kock’s home at the time Chanelle is believed to have gone missing.
She also said the blood found on boots inside De Kock’s home belonged to Chanelle, confirming that De Kock’s home was the crime scene.
Magistrate Goolam Bawa postponed the case until 30 January when he is expected to rule on whether or not bail will be granted.
Daily Voice