A told the father accused of kidnapping his young son that he did not trust him, before setting bail at R5 000.
|||Cape Town - A Muizenberg magistrate reprimanded the father accused of kidnapping his young son and taking him to live in Limpopo for more than a year, saying he might just do it again.
Magistrate Yusuf Kamedien told the father, whose identity is being withheld to protect his five-year-old son, that he did not trust him, and set bail at R5 000 - five times higher than suggested by prosecutor Deidre Julius.
Julius said the father was not a flight risk, had a fixed address in Capricorn and agreed that bail could be set. She told the court the incident stemmed from an argument the man had with his ex-girlfriend over custody of their son.
The father had allegedly broken down the front door, smashed a window and assaulted his ex-girlfriend during the argument. He has been charged with malicious damage to property, assault and abduction.
Julius said the boy was well taken care of while at his paternal grandparents’ home in Limpopo for 18 months.
“I’ve advised the complainant to sort out custody of the child for his safety and security,” Julius said.
The boy’s mother was at court on Tuesday and told the Cape Argus that she would help raise the money to have her ex-boyfriend released on bail. While she did not want to rekindle their relationship, she did not want him in jail. He is due back in court on February 11.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Argus