The father cut a lonely figure in the dock as the state argued against his bail application, in a case that has split the community.
A South African father has been denied bail after he is accused of castrating and killing a lay preacher he believed had raped his nine-year-old daughter.
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The father cut a lonely figure in the dock as the state argued against his bail application, in a case that has split the community, Timeslive reports.
The Daily Dispatch reports that Preacher Mase Malgas was based at St Philips Church in Gompo, when this shocking incident – which lead to the 66-year-old’s death – occurred on 30 September.
The prosecutor, Constable Lundi Nqwelo, said medical reports confirmed the nine-year-old had been raped, but the courts were still waiting for the DNA results to confirm Malgas was the perpetrator.
The case hinges on this vital detail: If the preacher is found to be guilty of the rape, a host of mitigating factors for the defence will come into play, the South African reports.
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East London bail magistrate Joel Caesar expressed his reasons for keeping the suspect behind bars. He claimed that, although the court has empathy for the daughter, the court cannot show that same empathy to someone who carries out their own brand of justice: “The state is of the view that this was premeditated murder. When he went to the deceased’s house he had already decided that he wanted to inflict the same pain his daughter went through.”
The trial will resume on a date yet to be confirmed by the court.