The Western Cape High Court has dismissed an appeal for freedom by Zane Killian, the man accused of pinging the cellphone of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear.
The bail application was dismissed by Judge Mark Sher who highlighted inconsistencies in Killian’s claims.
In the judgement Sher outlines Killian’s initial arrest and the different versions he allegedly gave when asked why he was pinging Kinnear’s phone.
Sher said initially Kilian claimed that he was pinging for a man only known as Mohammed, amid claims that his wife was jolling.
However during the bail hearings, he admitted that he was pinging the number for alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack.
Sher found that it would not be in the interests of justice to release Killian on bail as the trial was due to be over early next year.
“Furthermore, given his previous conduct in attempting to destroy material evidence and given that state witnesses and members of the investigating team have been threatened, it would be inimical to the interests of justice for the accused to be released on bail.”
“In my view, given his admitted connections to figures in the underworld, the fact that he was previously able to leave the country to go to neighbouring states without, seemingly, using his SA passport and that he had access to large sums of money that were deposited into his account, from illicit sources related to criminal activities, in the event that he were to be granted bail there is every likelihood that he would seek to leave the country and to evade justice.”
monique.duval@inl.co.za