A suspect in the attempted-murder case of a 22-year-old man appeared in the Hopefield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 11 September.
This was the second court appearance for Juan van Dyk (23). The first was on Tuesday 9 September, after the victim in question was shot in the precinct of Club Mykonos and taken to hospital, according to Tania Helfrich, district spokesperson of the West Coast police.
Bail was set at R2 000 and the case was postponed to Tuesday 18 November to allow for further investigation.
The mother of the victim said she was worried about her son, who is experiencing apparent symptoms of post-traumatic stress. “The whole matter is starting to affect him emotionally. He is fighting hard against it, fighting not to become emotional as he strives to live a normal life.
“Yet he becomes depressed, which leaves me incredibly worried about his well-being. Only the court will know why the bail was set at such a low amount for attempted murder.”
She said her biggest concern about the bail was the prosecutor’s not using the police report to oppose bail.
“The case was moved a week earlier than originally scheduled. I heard the public prosecutor appointed to handle the case was on leave and the bail was set in his or her absence. Too many points about the case just do not make sense.
“I am so worried about my son and one of the witnesses, who claims to have seen the party involved in the case watching them many times at a place of entertainment. As a result, my son and this witness are both anxious and unable to act normally in public. It’s almost as if they are being manipulated mentally and emotionally.”
She expressed doubts about the case’s conclusion being a favourable one for her son as it has begun in such a problematic way.
