‘Axe killers’ in court: Victim’s mom breaks down at neighbours’ bail hearing
|Published
HACKED TO DEATH: Shakier Mohammed, 26, from Lentegeur. Picture supplied
Emotions ran high in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court, where the young men accused of hacking their neighbour to death with an axe appeared on charges of murder.
Laaieq Phillips, 19, and Anwar Louw were arrested shortly after their neighbour Shakier Mohammed, 26, was killed in Lentegeur on December 20.
The case has dragged on for six months and on Thursday, Phillips’ bail application continued with the investigating officer taking the stand to give his account of events and explain why the accused shouldn’t be granted bail.
Louw has chosen not to apply for bail.
Phillips, 19, had told the court that he applied for bail as he hopes to finish school.
The hof heard how Shakier, a dad of two young boys, was called by the accused while he was on his way home with a friend.
According to the investigating officer, the trio chatted when, without warning, Phillips allegedly picked up an axe and struck Shakier across the chest.
The court heard that the friend, who was walking with Shakier, ran away out of fear and tried to look for help but couldn’t find anyone.
In that time, Shakier managed to get up and run away, but he was chased by the accused until he fell to the ground, and his alleged killers bludgeoned him to death.
The investigating officer testified that all the men, excluding Shakier, belonged to a gang and that two axes were used in the attack.
Upon hearing this, Shakier’s hartseer mother Faieka burst into tears in the public gallery before she ran out of the courtroom.
In December, Shakier’s aunt claimed that he was killed for refusing to join the Fancy Boys gang.
Outside court on Thursday, Faieka told the Daily Voice that her life has become unbearable since his death.
“To think that the same boy who wants bail came to my house and told me that Shakier was lying under a tree and he needed to go to hospital. He still had on my child’s watch and cap! He swore he had nothing to do with it.
“The hardest part is that my son was not a gangster. Yes, he started using drugs after his divorce, but that is it.
“I still can’t understand why they would kill my son in such a brutal way. He respected everybody, now his two young children have to grow up without him.”
The mom said the feeling of never being called “mommy” again has torn her apart.
“Now all I have are memories and my grandbabies, who look just like their dad.”
Court Watch Brief coordinator Linda Jones comforted the grieving ma, adding that the court should look at how badly the murder has affected Faieka.
“The justice system shouldn’t allow murderers and rapists to still have the freedom to decide whether or not they want bail. They gave up their freedom when they committed the crime.”
Judgement for bail will be heard on June 20.