Publications
- Two men were arrested after allegedly assaulting a 30-year-old man in Pretoria.
- Both men are also accused of damaging the man's vehicle and using racially abusive language.
- The accused will spend Christmas behind bars as their bail applications will only be heard at the end of December.
Two men accused of assaulting a 30-year-old man at a shopping centre in Pretoria, while also damaging his vehicle and using racial slur during an argument, will spend Christmas behind bars as their bail applications will only be heard on 28 December.
The two, who cannot be named or identified as per court order because they still need to appear in an identity parade, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
The court heard that both men wanted to apply for bail, but the magistrate said the matter was not on the roll for a bail application, and that there were other cases to attend to.
The matter was subsequently postponed.
Charges
According to the charge sheet, both men have been charged with assault, malicious damage to property and crimen injuria.
It is alleged that they assaulted the man by hitting him in the face with their fists, while also calling him the k-word, and a h****t, which is a derogatory term aimed at coloured people.
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Both men are also accused of extensively damaging the victim's vehicle.
Video
Part of the incident, which happened during the early morning hours of Sunday, was caught on video.
News24 previously reported that, while the video is dark and neither the suspects nor the victim can be clearly seen, the audio reveals part of the story.
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In the video, a VW Golf, with its right door open, was parked in the parking lot.
Loud thuds and bangs can be heard as a man, speaking Afrikaans, is heard shouting, "break that fucking car, break it", while the victim, also speaking Afrikaans, can be heard pleading with them.
The victim can be heard pleading:
At the same time, the suspect can be heard shouting more expletives at him.
The victim keeps pleading with the men, shouting that he had not done anything and that he did not mean it, although no context is provided about the argument.
At one point in the video, a shattered side window can be seen.
The police said both suspects had worn biker gang attire, but did not comment on which gang it was.
Internal investigation
Meanwhile, Gauteng police commissioner General Elias Mawela has ordered that an internal investigation be conducted after allegations surfaced that the police officers who attended the scene had failed to act.
Both accused were allegedly allowed to leave the crime scene after police had already arrived.
The men were traced and arrested later.
They made their first court appearance on Tuesday, where their case was postponed to Thursday for them to obtain legal representation.
The matter will be back in court on 28 December.
