Update
PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - A Plett magistrate last week refused bail to a 39-year-old alleged sexual offender who had been arrested in May.
The man, from the Plettenberg Bay area, faces 14 charges including grooming, sexual assault, statutory rape and trafficking of persons. All the minors were between 13 and 16 years old.
He first appeared in court on 22 May and began his bail application on 2 June, but last Wednesday, 19 July, Magistrate Zainunisa Arafdien said that the onus on the accused, in terms of the Schedule 6 charges he faced, was to provide exceptional circumstances to be granted bail.
Arafdien said information supplied in his affidavit "falls short of establishing exceptional circumstances and therefore bail is denied", adding it would not serve in the interests of justice.
She recapped the evidence from Detective Sergeant Jacobs of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in George.
As reasons for opposing bail, he cited the serious nature of the alleged offences and that the victims were all minors. Arafdien also referred to a petition circulated in the community which opposed bail. There were 400 signatories.
The magistrate also said during the hearing that the regional state prosecutor had intervened and further charges had been added to the existing charges that changed the schedule under which the bail application was heard, from Schedule 5 to the more serious Schedule 6.
The new charge sheet included 14 counts, which placed a heavier onus on the applicant to provide the exceptional circumstances.
Arafdien said the applicant's evidence, by way of affidavits, was that he owned a property, was married with three children to support and could resume his work at an alternate address, 72km from his Plettenberg Bay residence.
She said the affidavits were not subject to cross-examination.
The hearing was postponed to 11 August to allow the regional court prosecutor time to screen the charge sheet and the docket. A regional court date for a hearing will then be set down.
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