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Dina whisked to secret hideaway
06/07/2005 22:23 - (SA)
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| Dina Rodrigues leaves by a back entrance after appearing in Wynberg magistrate's court, Cape Town, on charges connected with the killing of baby Jordan Leigh Norton. (Yunus Mohamed, Die Burger) |
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Llewellyn Prince , Die Burger
Cape Town - The woman accused of infanticide walked with a slight smile from a back gate at Wynberg police station on Wednesday, and her overwhelmed relatives whipped her off to a secret destination "for her own safety".
Dina Rodrigues, 24, who is standing trial for the contract murder of six-month-old Jordan Leigh Norton and has spent two weeks in a cell, was released on bail of R20 000.
Since then, she has been under house arrest of 24 hours a day.
"I feel fantastic. I just want to go home and give my dad a hug," was all she could say, with her blanket tucked under her arm, before she got into an idling luxury sports car.
Several of Rodrigues's relatives rejoiced on Wednesday morning in Wynberg magistrate's court when magistrate Hafisa Mohamed granted her bail. The money was paid within minutes.
The magistrate found that, although there was a prima facie case against Rodrigues, the circumstances for bail counted in her favour.
Strict bail conditions
"There is no reason why she has to remain in custody until her trial."
Mohamed said everyone knew Rodrigues would stand trial for one of the "cruellest and most-serious crimes" the country had yet had.
"But, we must not forget this is only a bail application and not her trial. That comes later."
Before Rodrigues was released on strict bail conditions, she confirmed to Mohamed she understood that she could not leave her house or contact any State witness directly or indirectly.
The State alleges she paid four men about R10 000 to have Jordan murdered in Rondebosch East in the middle of June.
Jordan, who was stabbed to death with a knife, was the child of Neil Wilson, Rodrigues's former boyfriend.
The search for the four suspects is continuing. For this reason, the State insisted that her life could be in danger outside prison.
The State claims Rodrigues's handwriting was on the waybill of a suspicious parcel left behind in the house after the murder.
She is also believed to have acknowledged to Wilson after the murder that she had arranged to have the child killed "to get rid of the problem".
The court heard that Wilson was the State's chief witness.
Mohamed said she was concerned about a number of unanswered questions in the State's case against Rodrigues.
Inspector 'not a good witness'
It was "unclear" to the court why Wilson waited four days after Rodrigues had acknowledged the murder to him, before telling police about it, while he "had known nothing in the beginning".
"It is also unclear why he would have deleted SMSs of this acknowledgement, as the State alleges, and why it could not be found on his phone's memory card."
Mohamed said the State did not have enough evidence to oppose bail and that inspector Esmarelda Bailey, investigating officer, was not a good witness.
"It is saddening that most people have already found her guilty," said the magistrate.
- Die Burger
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