Ntsuape faces additional charges
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday December 19, 2016 15:31
The state alleges that the new charges happened when Ntsuape caused a Toyota Quantum to cause an accident. The vehicle was transporting prison inmates to the Francistown Centre of Illegal Immigrants (FCII) from court at the beginning of this month.The Quantum overturned, killing a Thuso Ntusa, a Special Constable and another inmate, Emmanuel Mapholo, who was charged with rape.
Before charges were read to Ntsuape, the chief prosecutor Gasemotho Pitlagano from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu that Ntsuape was refusing to take stand in the dock, adding that his pleas in the matters should be reserved since police investigations had just started. Ntsuape later rebutted what Pitlagano said when asked by Mulalu to confirm or deny what the prosecution said. He then went to the dock to listen to his new charges.
In his latest brushes with the law, Ntsuape is charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of disabling in order to commit an offence.
However, Ntsuape shocked court and the prosecution when he said that the offences happened on December 7 and not December 1 as the prosecution has said. The prosecution however, said that there was no need to amend the charge sheet because what Ntsuape said was not true adding that he had completely forgotten when the accident happened.
Investigations officer, Lyn Agang said Ntsuape should be remanded in custody because investigations into his latest charges have just commenced adding that she is yet to record statements from witnesses who are still recovering from the injuries sustained in the accident.
Ntsuape told the court that he was also a victim in the accident but, Mulalu told him to save that for another time and just concentrate on the application tendered by the state for his remand in jail.
Mulalu denied Ntsuape bail basing on the reasons advanced by the state. Ntsuape is due in court on December 22 for status report. Meanwhile, melodramatic intrigues continued to emerge in court after Ntsuape allegedly committed his latest offences.
Two on-remand prisoners facing charges of threat to kill and robbery respectively pleaded with the court to grant them bail because there has been change of circumstances following their remand in jail.
The duo made their application through their attorney Tumisang Mokobi.
Mokobi said his first client, Buti Ludick who is charged with threatening to kill his girlfriend and mother of his children should be granted bail because he is not receiving proper medical care in prison after he sustained injuries in the car accident that was allegedly masterminded by Ntsuape.
Mokobi said his clients were sleeping on the floor at prison, which is bad for their recovery since they sustained serious injuries after the accident.
Mokobi prayed with the court to grant Ludick and Peter Mothwalo bail so that they can go and recuperate outside jail where there are amenities that will support them to heal properly.
“…The accused should be treated as innocent until proven otherwise by the court. The court can impose conditions that would deter the accused persons not to interfere with state witnesses…” said Mokobi. The state prosecutor Goitsemang Ramatatome however opposed bail. He said the accused may complete his mission of killing his girlfriend once he is given bail.
Rulings for bail in respect of both matters will be delivered on December 19. In a related matter, Mokobi told this publication that he has also been instructed by Ludick and Mothwalo to sue the police following the accident that was allegedly caused by Ntsuape.
Mokobi said he was instructed by the families of his injured clients to sue the police for possible negligence of duty, which led to the accident.