Durban - A Durban man who has been charged with murder after killing an intruder in his Manor Gardens home, was granted R2 000 bail on Monday.
A dejected and tired-looking Dennis Webster made his first appearance at the Durban Magistrate’s Court after spending Sunday night in the cells at Mayville police station.
Webster, 49, was arrested after he fired what he said was a warning shot at an intruder who had entered his Marche Avenue home, at about 7am on Sunday.
In his bail application that was read by his attorney, Dion Govender, Webster argued that he had acted in self-defence and had not meant any harm to the intruder – that was why he had only fired a warning shot.
The State did not oppose bail, saying the evidence on the table was not strong enough to keep him in custody and that Webster would not be able to interfere with the investigation as there were no other witnesses except the investigating officers.
Some of Webster’s family members, including his two sisters, had driven from Johannesburg to be with him and his wife at court.
They were reluctant to speak to the Daily News, but said they were still coming to terms with what had happened to their brother.
Webster’s common-law wife, Jacqui Webster, said the two had moved into the three-bedroomed home six months ago, after the previous owners had left, having endured a number of break-ins.
“We were reluctant to move into the new house because of the previous owners’ experiences with intruders, but we wanted a place to stay, so we decided to move in hoping and praying that we wouldn’t experience what they had experienced,” said Jacqui.
She said before Sunday’s incident, there had been some criminal activity in the area, such as someone stealing their outside taps in broad daylight.
She said on Sunday her husband, an early riser, woke up to let his dog out.
“After opening the kitchen door, he went to the bathroom and when he was there he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. When he went back to the kitchen, he saw a man coming inside the house.
“He then ran to the dining room area to get a gun that he usually placed in the cabinet drawers.
“The intruder followed him, charging at him with a sharp knife,” she said. The man had taken a packet of petty cash left in the kitchen.
“Dennis was forced to (fire) a warning shot at him.”
She said after realising that the intruder had been shot and was getting weak, they called the police and the ambulance. Paramedics declared the intruder dead at the scene.
“I cannot describe what we both felt at the realisation that Dennis has killed him,” said Jacqui.
“He was just protecting himself and me, but look, now he has been arrested for protecting himself against an intruder in his own home.”
Daily News