State wants Verulam child rape accused to stay behind bars
The State is pushing for a Verulam man - accused of keeping his ten-year-old step-daughter captive and raping her over a period of five years - to remain behind bars.
Investigating officer Warrant Officer Nevarge Lutchminarain took the stand today to oppose the man’s bail application in the Verulam Magistrate's Court.
In an affidavit handed in as evidence earlier today, the suspect told the court the charges against him were all fabricated and that he’d be pleading not guilty.
But Lutchminarain says he is a violent man, who - if released on bail - would present a flight risk.
He says the accused asked him to pass a message on to the complainant: “To remember who she was dealing with and not to forget the promise he had made to her”.
Lutchminarain says the child later told him that her stepfather had said if she went to the police, they would both go to jail and that he would “put me where he put my mother”.
Her mother died in 2014. Her cause of death is not clear at this stage.
A protection order against the accused - obtained by an ex girlfriend - has also been handed in as evidence.
The case is due back in court on Thursday.
ALSO READ: Phoenix, Chatsworth, Verulam residents demand more police intervention