THE couple accused of murdering Kempton pensioner Annatjie Stassen were denied bail on January 12. They are back in court today.
Gideon Stassen (43) and his girlfriend, Chantelle Minnott (31), were asked to provide addresses where they could go for temporary residence, should they be granted bail, at their last hearing in December.
They can no longer go back to the home where they lived with Stassen’s late mother on Spekboom Street.
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No family or friends, according to a family member who attended the proceedings last week, are willing to take the two into their homes.
The court waited a few moments for the couple to come up from the cells after their names were called. Sporting a new haircut, Stassen walked ahead, wearing a short-sleeved orange T-shirt. The pint-sized Minnott followed behind him in a bright pink long-sleeved top.
Watching the proceedings from the benches were two family friends of Annatjie’s and her nephew.
Investigating officer, Maj Jan Klynhans, testified as to why he thought the two should not be granted bail. During a previous appearance Stassen provided two addresses, one in Edleen and another in Brakpan. Minnott’s brother testified previously he could take her into his Mafikeng home.
Between then and now, Klynhans had to verify if these addresses were appropriate for the suspects’ release.
Klynhans said the first address given by Stassen was for a residence in Brakpan. During his investigation, he found Stassen got the address from someone he met in jail. This property actually belongs to the person’s sister.
“The person, who is out on bail after being arrested on assault charges, is himself not even from Brakpan. Therefore, Stassen has never stayed nor lived at the said address,” Klynhans explained to Magistrate P Manyathi.
The second address provided by Stassen, which was for a house in Panorama Avenue in Edleen, was also inspected by Klynhans. He found the people at the said property had no clue who Stassen was and had never met him before.
“Based on these findings, I don’t recommend that Stassen gets bail.”
Regarding Minnott’s bail application, Klynhans said her twin brother had previously testified he would be able to take her into his Mafikeng home. When I spoke to the landlord at the property, she told me the brother had been living there since 2014,” Klynhans told the court.
Minnott’s twin brother also said he had last spoken to his sister four years ago and he and his family didn’t even know she was living in Joburg. The court also heard the two lost contact because Minnott “is using drugs”.
Before denying bail, Magistrate Manyathi said the court also heard how on November 18, Minnott helped Stassen dispose of the victim’s body.
Stassen loaded his mother’s body into her car and Minnott drove to the open veld in Bronkhorstspruit where they disposed of the body. This after keeping it in Annatjie’s Spekboom Street home for two days after allegedly killing her.
“The deceased died in both’s presence,” said Manyathi.
Klynhans also testified: “”I would not recommend bail for both based on the manner in which the victim was killed. They did not call any paramedics or police after killing her, but instead stayed in the house with the body for two days.”
The body was discovered only four days later, on November 22, in a decomposed state.
