Police chastised for attempting to block access by Ford to evidence in Kuga case

Judge Steyn‚ granting a postponement on Wednesday‚ told the police that their behaviour "did not look good" in such a high public interest matter.

• Ford goes to court to get police docket in to Kuga deathLawyers for embattled car manufacturer‚ Ford‚ are insistent that they be given access to a police docket into the death of one of its consumers. 

Steyn was presiding over an urgent application in the Cape Town high court‚ where Ford sought access to the inquest docket opened into the death of Johannesburg motorist Reshall Jimmy.

Jimmy burnt to death in his Ford Kuga in December 2015‚ while on holiday in the Wilderness‚ in the Western Cape.

• Wrong turn for Kuga debacleFord Kuga owners - under threat from the self-combustion of their vehicles - have yet another problem to deal with - an apparent shortage and backlog of the parts necessary to stop their vehicles catching fire. 

Since his death at least 44 Kugas have spontaneously burst into flames on roads across South Africa. Nine of these fires have occurred since the beginning of the year.

Jimmy's family‚ through evidence gathered by their forensic investigators‚ believe that the fire started from an electrical fault on the front passenger side of his vehicle.

Police and forensic investigators from Jimmy's insurance company came to the same conclusion. Ford however believes that the fire started at the rear of his car.

Ford now wants access to all evidence which the police and their investigators have gathered including videos taken of Jimmy's burning car.

In granting a postponement for the urgent application‚ Steyn told Advocate Stanley O'Brien that it did not look good for the police "not to cooperate".

"It does not look good when the police appear to be dragging their feet. I recommend that there is cooperation [between the parties] and that an interim solution‚ which will lead to a final solution‚ is found to this public interest matter."

O'Brien said that they accepted that they would eventually have to produce the documents‚ but the police investigation is still unfortunately going on.

Counsel for Ford‚ Claudio Bollo‚ speaking to The Times outside court‚ said that they had brought the matter as an urgent application‚ "because every day people are accusing our clients of things.

"All we are seeking are the necessary documents to help us establish the cause of the fires. We need and want to get to the bottom of this."

The matter has been postponed until February 9.

The postponement was granted so lawyers for the police have an opportiunity to file opposing papers.

The state has until January 23 to file their papers.