A new bid for freedom has landed the wife of alleged 28s gang boss, Ralph Stanfield, in more legal trouble as the state revealed evidence of her alleged fraudulent activities.
Nicole Johnson returned to the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday where she brought a fresh bail application, saying her daughter needs medical attention and that her businesses are failing while she is in the mang.
Ralph and Nicole were arrested alongside Johannes “Bal” Abrahams, Denver Booysen and Jose Brand on charges linked to the attempted murder of a former employee of Ralph, who allegedly stole over R1 million from the couple.
During the explosive bail hearings, it was revealed that the former employee, who is now a state witness, had not arrived at work on 24 November 2022 following a tip-off that Ralph had planned to “kill him”. He 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 “witchhunt” and threatened the father of the witness, klapped a neighbour and took the car without the owner’s permission.
On Thursday, the state played an audio recording made by a car tracking company.
State prosecutor, Advocate Nathan Adriaanse, said they had obtained Nicole’s cellphone records which proved she had made the call.
He said Nicole fraudulently claimed to be the owner of the BMW to determine the location of the car. In her defence, Nicole stated that the owner was with her and knew she was calling the tracking company.
Adriaanse also revealed that in addition to the attempted assassination of the state witness before their arrest, the Anti-Gang Unit also reported that gunmen opened fire on the home of the father of one of the complainants in November last year while the couple were in custody.
Taking the stand, Nicole told the court that during a prison visit, she noted that her 15-year-old daughter was ill. After being taken for tests, it was revealed that the child had a medical condition that may require surgery.
Defence Advocate, Laurence Hodes, told the court that the fact that only Nicole noticed that something was wrong with the child, was proof that Nicole’s mother was not capable of looking after the children and therefore his client should be released.
It was also revealed that as the franchise owner of two Sorbet salons, Nicole now faces losing both as Sorbet had cancelled her contracts.
Adriaanse blasted Nicole, saying she presented no new facts in the bail application, and called her “dishonest”.
He also said that as a third-year law student, she couldn’t make a medical diagnosis.
According to Hodes, the facts presented to court are new and illustrate that Nicole could not have foreseen her child falling ill or her businesses being affected by her arrest The case was postponed to 16 January for bail judgement.
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