PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The trial of six members of an alleged dog-fighting syndicate resumed in the Knysna Regional Court on Wednesday, March 25 - about four years after they were arrested in a police raid outside Plettenberg Bay.
The accused - Donald Wall of Victoria Park in Port Elizabeth, Rudi Wall of Queenstown, Peter Wall also of Queenstown, Owen Butler of East London, Yorick Grobbelaar of East London and Anton van Blerk also of East London - were part of a group of ten men arrested during the bust at a property in Ladywood on the outskirts of the coastal holiday town in May 2011.
B efore taking the witness stand last year, the accused brought an application to have the charges against them dismissed, but this was turned down.
The accused have pleaded not guilty on the charges against them. They remain adamant that they had not been aware that dog-fighting would take place at the property and that they had been there merely as guests.
After two of the accused, Rudi and Donald Wall, testified in October, the case was postponed until March 25 this year.
Donald again took his place in the witness stand on Wednesday for cross examination.
"I was there for a braai and to pick up shoes, not for a dog fight," Donald said.
In May 2013, three of the ten men arrested that day, Johannes Joubert of Johannesburg, Ferdinand Endeman of Somerset West and Anthony Blake of Plettenberg Bay, pleaded guilty and were each handed a R15 000 fine or an 18-month prison sentence of which R1 000 or 12 months were suspended for three years.
In July the same year, Bill Marais, another Plett resident and the owner of the property used for the fights, was sentenced to 18 months' correctional supervision under house arrest and was also handed a R20 000 fine, half of which was suspended for four years. He also has to complete 288 hours of community service at the SPCA.
Two of the accused, Van Blerk and Butler, were also convicted and sentenced in East London on similar charges in February last year.They were among 12 people arrested during October 2008 for being involved in an organised dog-fighting event on a Glendene smallholding near East London.
Click here for previous articles:
- Dogfight accused maintain their innocence
- Update: Plett dog-fighting trial
- Dog-fighting trial postponed again
- Dog-fighting case to continue
- Alleged dog-fighters guilty
- Dog-fighting case in court in May
- Update: Dog-fighting syndicate trial
- Dog-fighter gets his day
- Dog-fight trial date set
- Update: Plettenberg Bay dog-fight case
- Alleged dog-fighters in court
- 3 of 10 dog-figthers fined
- Dog-fighting suspects in court
- Alleged dog-fighters in court
- Dog-fight accuseds' dismissal applauded
- Dog-fight suspecs in court soon
- Plettenberg Bay dog-fighting case
- Dog-fighting ring cracked
- 10 arrested for illegal dog-fighting
