Escapees remain in the mang

The three men accused of escaping from custody at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court will have to spend another week in the mang pending a decision on bail.

Jody Adams, Elroy Gedult and Khumzi Ningo appeared in the same court yesterday on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three attempted murder charges, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, and escaping from custody.

The three were among the five prisoners who managed to overpower a police official, take his firearm and escape from the holding cells two weeks ago as the officer was loading the trok to take them back to prison.

At their previous court appearance, both Adams and Gedult indicated that they wanted to apply for bail and would represent themselves. Khumzi applied for Legal Aid but abandoned his bail.

On Monday, media applications were made to take pictures of the accused and they were given a chance to either object or consent to the application.

Adams objected, telling the court: “Ek is ‘n gangster buite, I am well-known outside.”

Gedult said he had no problem with his picture being taken. The prosecutor did not object either saying: “The accused were caught because their faces were already out there so it won’t prejudice the case in any way.

“They have also already been identified in their pending matters.”

The application was granted and the duo’s cases were postponed to next Monday while Khumzi will appear on December 3 again.

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