Bail denied in Cape sex slave case
Cape Town - 110922 - A Human Trafficking Victim from Russia spoke to the Cape Times about her ordeals. She was taken from Russia to Switzerland, to Cyprus, to Lebanon where she almost had her kidney forcably removed, and finally to Cape Town where she escaped and is currently rehabilitating. Photo: Matthew Jordaan Cape Town - 110922 - A Human Trafficking Victim from Russia spoke to the Cape Times about her ordeals. She was taken from Russia to Switzerland, to Cyprus, to Lebanon where she almost had her kidney forcably removed, and finally to Cape Town where she escaped and is currently rehabilitating. Photo: Matthew Jordaan
A Bellville man accused of holding a 16-year-old girl hostage could almost taste freedom when the State did not oppose bail, but, in an about-turn, a magistrate denied his release.
Christian Anynywu appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Anynywu was arrested two weeks ago and charged with sexual exploitation after he allegedly held the Durbanville girl captive and forced her to use drugs and perform sexual acts with his clients.
The girl was rescued from Anynywu’s Parksig Villas complex in Bellville earlier this month and moved to a place of safety.
At his first appearance, the court heard that the State needed time to establish whether it would oppose his release.
Prosecutor Chantal Williams said on Wednesday that the State had no objection to his release as he did not have a criminal record, had a fixed address and his status in the country had been verified.
Williams had, however, requested that conditions be attached to Anynywu’s release.
“The State requests conditions that he not make contact with the complainant, report to Bellville police station twice a week and not leave Cape Town without notifying the investigating officer,” Williams said.
Anynywu’s lawyer, Howard Andrews, confirmed what Williams had told the court.
He said he told the investigating officer that the defence had no objection to any conditions being attached to his release.
“Is that all?” magistrate Jannie Kotze asked Andrews, to which he agreed.
A few minutes later, Kotze told Anynywu that he had listened to what was placed on record but decided against bail. He said Anynywu was charged with a schedule six offence, the category in which the most serious offences fall, and therefore had to show that exceptional circumstances existed to permit his release.
Kotze found that there were no such circumstances and denied bail.
Andrews, who had Anynywu’s bail affidavit with him, asked whether he could read it out in court, but Kotze refused. Andrews then asked that the case be postponed so he could bring Anynywu’s bail application on new facts.
Anynywu is due back in court on July 30.
Cape Argus