Griekwastad: Date set for bail appeal
2012-10-17 20:03
Bloemfontein - A date for the hearing to appeal the decision to grant bail to the teenager accused of killing the Steenkamp family on their Griekwastad farm has been set, the NPA said on Wednesday.
The hearing would take place in the Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley on 5 November, Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said.
The State filed an application for leave to appeal the R5 000 bail granted to the 16-year-old boy by the Griekwastad Magistrate's Court on 3 September.
Prosecutor JJ Cloete contended the magistrate erred in finding that the boy was not dangerous to those around him.
In his motion of notice, Cloete said that during his bail application, the boy gave no indication whether he was innocent, and lied to the police.
The State contended it had a strong case against him.
At the last court appearance the boy's lawyer, Willem Coetzee, told the court the State had no direct evidence linking the boy to the crimes.
The teenager was arrested for the murders of Northern Cape farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christelle, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14.
They were shot on their family farm Naauwhoek on 6 April.
The trial was expected to start in March next year.
- SAPA
