Alleged 28s gang wife Nicole Johnson has been dealt another blow as the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed her application to appeal her bail.
Johnson, who was busted alongside her husband, Ralph Stanfield, has lost her fourth bid for freedom as the SCA ruled that her applications have no prospects of success.
The notorious duo were busted just over a year ago at their larney Constantia home by the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) amid an intense investigation into a botched hit on a former employee.
Cops also arrested Johannes “Bal” Abrahams, Denver Booysen and Jose Brand on various charges linked to an alleged manhunt of a former employee of Ralph, who had allegedly stole over R1 million from the couple.
During the explosive bail hearings it was revealed that the man, who is now a State witness, had not arrived at work on 24 November 2022 after he got a tip-off that Ralph “had planned to kill him”.
The witness then hid his girlfriend’s BMW in a complex in Milnerton and went into hiding.
According to the State’s case, Ralph and Nicole embarked on a “witch hunt” and even threatened the father of the witness, klapped an unsuspecting neighbour and took the BMW without the vehicle owner’s permission.
Johnson’s bail was initially denied and she subsequently brought a new application at the same court based on new facts.
Johnson claimed her daughter was ill and took the stand to state her case. But her application was denied when the State played an audio recording from Tracker showing she allegedly committed fraud.
She then approached the Western Cape High Court to appeal the magistrate’s decision.
However, Judge Hayley Slingers also denied her release on bail, as she believed Johnson would attempt to influence or intimidate witnesses and destroy evidence.
Slinger said: “A holistic analysis of the evidence portrays Johnson as a person who does what she needs to, even if this means being deceptive and taking the law into her own hands.
“She does not hesitate to lie and give false evidence if she thinks it will benefit her. Such a person does not respect the legal system and would not hesitate to undermine the criminal justice system.”
Now the SCA has notified Johnson’s lawyer that her leave to appeal was unsuccessful.
The ruling reads: “The application for leave to appeal is dismissed on the grounds that there are no reasonable prospects of success and there is no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard.”
The couple will return to the Cape Town Magistrates Court this week where they are set to appear alongside former Mayco Member Malusi Booi for a tender fraud and corruption case worth R1 billion.
The State alleges that Booi pocketed millions from the Stanfields in exchange for facilitating tenders to their construction companies.
monique.duval@inl.co.za