Another crime, more bail for threat-to-kill accused

Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday May 7, 2014 10:59

 

The state submitted that Guy Darkin should not be granted bail in the new case where he is accused of damaging property because he violated the previous bail conditions by visiting his wife at Gerald Estates.

Darkin was released on bail early this year after he was charged with threatening to kill his wife. But on Monday, he was on the dock again for damaging a Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) house that his wife lives in at Gerald Estates.

One of the conditions of his first bail was to avoid contact with his wife. On Monday, it was alleged that he visited his wife in the early hours of May 1, damaged the kitchen door but failed to enter the bedroom because she had blocked the door with a wardrobe.

Prosecutor Makrae Nkele opposed Darkin’s latest bail application because he once violated his bail conditions in the threat-to-kill case. Nkele called the investigating officer, Frank Buru, to tell the court why the accused should be denied bail. Buru said they feared that Darkin could harm his wife if granted bail.

“He violated one of his bail conditions in the threat-to-kill case. He did not manage to enter his wife’s bedroom because she had blocked its door with her wardrobe.

He also went to the house at around two o’clock in the morning and we wonder what he was going to do there at that time of the day,” he said.

Darkin told the court that he went to his wife’s place after drinking alcohol with friends because he missed her dearly. He said he had no intention to harm her and he had spoken to her and they had agreed on how the damaged door would be repaired. “I have been complying with my bail conditions for five months. It was lack of good judgement on my part that I ended up damaging property and I will never repeat that.

I ask the court to have mercy on me because I have been under a lot of mental stress since I was charged with threat-to-kill,” said Darkin.

In the end, he convinced Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu to grant him bail on condition that he pays P1,000 cash and provide two sureties of the same amount.

He is to report at Gerald Police Station once a month and attend court whenever required to do so. Darkin is due in court on May 19.