Bad Brad acquitted on all charges

Bradford "Bad Brad" Wood. Picture: Moeletsi Mabe

Bradford "Bad Brad" Wood. Picture: Moeletsi Mabe

Published Sep 17, 2011

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“Congratulations, boet” rang out through the Delmas High Court on Friday afternoon, amid handshakes and hugs as Bad Brad and his four co-accused were acquitted of all charges.

The court was swarming with media as journalists waited with bated breath for a verdict as the lengthy murder trial finally came to a close.

Former reality TV star Bradford “Bad Brad” Wood, Nico Pretorius, Herbie Trouw, Willem Coetzer and Mickey Mazelem were tried on four charges of murder and five of attempted murder after a violent gunfight against illegal miners at the Aurora Mine in Benoni last year.

For two weeks the state argued that the group had been in the mine with intent to forcefully remove, and even kill, the illegal diggers. But Judge Andre Louw was convinced that the deaths of four miners at the hands of the former Big Brother celebrity was indeed in self-defence.

“I’m glad justice has been served, but four people still died,” said Wood after the verdict. “Those people had brothers, mothers… we’re all going to live with this for the rest of our lives.”

Wood, wearing an Evil Eye necklace, said he was moving away from security, after his stint at Aurora Empowerment Systems had left him with a year of legal woes.

But even though he’s now pursuing a career in ambulance services and bomb detection, Wood said he would be applying to PSIRA to have the application lifted this Monday.

Louw began his judgment with the background of the case, reading Wood’s plea explanation to the court.

Wood explained that he had been the only member of the group to use a firearm in the Ndlovu mineshaft that day, saying that it was the sound of a gunshot that caused him to “instinctively fire” into the dark. The “nerve-wracking and confusing” experience had caused him to act in self-defence, by firing between seven and 30 bullets from his rifle against the perceived threat.

Louw said Wood’s testimony earlier this week, and that of other accused, corroborated his plea explanation. “But the question remains: Is the remedy of private or self-defence available to (Wood)?”

He noted the testimony of two security guards who alleged Wood had arrived and given numerous weapons to the other accused. Louw said this was difficult to believe after the pair contradicted each other on what guns were brought into the mine. He cited inter-security team politics and a lack of pay from mine management as possible reasons for the alleged lies.

The judge acknowledged that Wood and his team were vulnerable in the mine, and that Wood had believed that he was threatened by miners. Louw said the court believed that a shot was fired towards Wood at close range, and that the “cover fire” he used in response was reasonable.

He was convinced that retreat was not an option.

It was noted that there was no reason to believe the other four accused were not there with a violent purpose, especially considering only Coetzer had also been armed.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman, Mthunzi Mhaga, said the NPA was disappointed with the verdict, but that the state was not planning an appeal. - Saturday Star

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