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Accused baby killer gets bail
06/07/2005 12:44 - (SA)
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| Dina Rodrigues leaves the Wynberg magistrate's court on Tuesday after a bail application. (Yunus Mohamed, Die Burger) |
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Cape Town - Alleged baby killer Dina Rodrigues was granted bail of R20 000 in the Wynberg magistrate's court in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Magistrate Hafeesa Mohamed said Rodrigues would be placed under 24-hour house arrest for what she described as "one of the most serious conceivable crimes" the country has seen.
Rodrigues is accused of ordering last month's killing of six-month-old Jordan Norton.
Mohamed, emphasising that it was a bail application and not a trial court, said many unanswered questions remained, particularly of state witness Neil Wilson and his statements to police.
Questions, such as why he deleted SMS messages allegedly incriminating Rodrigues or why he waited four days before telling police he thought his former girlfriend had been involved, remained unanswered.
Mohamed said investigating officer Esmereld Bailey did not make a "good impression" in court.
However, Rodrigues was "calm yet confident" despite invoking her constitutional right to silence when questioned by the state.
"The law is clear that the accused has the right to remain silent. The law is also clear that the court can't draw a negative inference [from the silence]," said Mohamed.
While there seemed to be prima facie evidence against Rodrigues the court could not find any reasons why she should remain in custody.
Rodrigues was warned not to contact, directly or indirectly, any of the state witnesses.
The case was postponed to August 10 for further investigation.
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