Three men freed by the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court this month are on the run.
The case against the trio accused of being involved in a foiled cash-in-transit heist has been struck off the roll, which the Magistrate’s deemed the police’s failure to bring them to court within 48hours of the arrest. The Hawks has now launched a manhunt and have asked the public for help.
“We have obtained warrants for all those that were
involved. Those that were still in hospital receiving medical attention, they
have been secured before court in absentia and medical certificates were
obtained. Those that were released, warrants of arrest have been issued and
those are the ones that we are requesting the public to help in tracing,’’ said
Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, National Head of the Hawks.
“The advocate that was assigned to the matter is in
agreement with the interpretation we had. It is a question in terms of the interpretation
of the 48 hours. When it comes to the issue of computation of time, that is
where the confusion sets in and this is where we think an error may have been
made. It is a matter that the NPA will be requesting a review on, because it is
believed that the calculation of hours may have come at the end of normal
office hours,’’ he added.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the suspects is asked
to call Captain Swan on 082 469 2164 or Sergeant Hlatshaneni on 082 479 6265.
Done By: Mitchum George
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