The lawyer representing Nasttasja Jansen, who is accused of aiding Thabo Bester to escape from prison last year, told the court his client was not the only person with access to open the electronic doors.
Jansen, together with four other accused — Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela, Tieho Frans Makhotsa — who worked at the prison are applying for bail in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court.
Jansen's lawyer, Garry Botha, on Friday told the court his client was not the only person who had access to opening and closing the electronic doors which Bester is believed to have walked through during his escape.
The attorney named two other people who he said could open the electronic doors from their cellphones.
“There is also a master key that can open all doors during load-shedding,” he said.
Botha was cross-examining a state witness who is part of a team investigating Bester's escape and may not be named.
The investigating officer said he didn't know about the master key and that there are people who could open the doors remotely from their phones.
It was the testimony of the investigating officer that when Bester walked out of prison, dressed in a G4S uniform, Jansen and Makhotsa opened the door for him.
Botha also asked the investigating officer if he had any evidence that Jansen had a hand in smuggling in the corpse used as a decoy in Bester's escape.
The officer said he had no evidence she [Jansen] had played a role in smuggling the body into the prison or was in anyway involved in setting the prison cell on fire. He also confirmed his investigation could not find Jansen had received any financial benefit.
The investigating officer repeated his call to the court to not grant the accused bail due to the seriousness of their alleged offence.
He said their release could lead to unrest.
The case has been postponed to May 23 for closing arguments in the bail application of the five.
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Lawyer argues master key or cellphone could have been used to open prison doors when Bester escaped
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
The lawyer representing Nasttasja Jansen, who is accused of aiding Thabo Bester to escape from prison last year, told the court his client was not the only person with access to open the electronic doors.
Jansen, together with four other accused — Senohe Matsoara, Teboho Lipholo, Buti Masukela, Tieho Frans Makhotsa — who worked at the prison are applying for bail in the Bloemfontein magistrate's court.
Jansen's lawyer, Garry Botha, on Friday told the court his client was not the only person who had access to opening and closing the electronic doors which Bester is believed to have walked through during his escape.
The attorney named two other people who he said could open the electronic doors from their cellphones.
“There is also a master key that can open all doors during load-shedding,” he said.
Botha was cross-examining a state witness who is part of a team investigating Bester's escape and may not be named.
The investigating officer said he didn't know about the master key and that there are people who could open the doors remotely from their phones.
It was the testimony of the investigating officer that when Bester walked out of prison, dressed in a G4S uniform, Jansen and Makhotsa opened the door for him.
Botha also asked the investigating officer if he had any evidence that Jansen had a hand in smuggling in the corpse used as a decoy in Bester's escape.
The officer said he had no evidence she [Jansen] had played a role in smuggling the body into the prison or was in anyway involved in setting the prison cell on fire. He also confirmed his investigation could not find Jansen had received any financial benefit.
The investigating officer repeated his call to the court to not grant the accused bail due to the seriousness of their alleged offence.
He said their release could lead to unrest.
The case has been postponed to May 23 for closing arguments in the bail application of the five.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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