MoH �Shooter� Advised To Make Fresh Bail Application
Mpho Mokwape | Monday February 22, 2016 16:30
Serumola, 46, who is alleged to have shot his girlfriend on and under her left breast before fleeing to South Africa on October 9, had just completed jail time for murder of a former girlfriend. On Thursday, he appeared before Gaborone High Court Judge Justice Michael Mothobi after Extension II Magistrate Ntombizodwa Ncube denied him bail.
Serumola through his lawyer, Kutobe Modie had wanted to appeal the magistrate’s decision for denying him bail.
However Justice Mothobi advised his lawyer to rather make a fresh application for bail saying the appeal would be a long process and also needed trial court proceedings.
He said Modie should have sourced the magistrate court’s proceedings to substantiate his client’s case if he was to forge ahead with the appeal.
“An appeal would need that we have a record of the magistrate court during the bail application and we need reasons of the magistrate for denying the accused bail in order to determine this application. A fresh application for bail hearing is much suitable as it can be argued without necessarily tapping into the magistrate’s ruling,” he said.
Mothobi said he was giving Serumola and his lawyer until August to make the best possible decision regarding his bail application.
Serumola is alleged to have on October 9, 2015 near the Ministry of Health in the Government Enclave, unlawfully attempted to murder a woman by shooting her with a pistol.
He has just been released from jail for a conviction of stabbing his then girlfriend more than 20 times ending her life in the process.
The case is set for status hearing on August 24, 2016.