MBOMBELA – All three courts where an alleged fraudster is facing charges have now issued warrants of arrest after he failed to show. The accused, Mr Derek Poole, was absent on Monday when the court attendant called his name in the Nelspruit District Court.
Poole is accused of fraud and assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm. Shortly before 10:00 his case came up and the attendant called his name in the corridor outside court B. “The accused is absent,” he informed the court which then proceeded with other cases.
One of the witnesses in the case, Mr Louis-John Havemann, Poole’s former landlord who is accusing him of assault, asked permission to address the court since it was unclear what would happen next. The magistrate, Ms Christa du Plessis said he would be called again later.
When Poole was called again, he had still not arrived. A warrant for his arrest was then issued.
This brought the total number of warrants for his arrest to three after the Hazyview court issued one on Thursday. Poole also faced a charge of fraud in Hazyview, but he failed to show up for his court appearance last week.
He had already forfeited his bail when he failed to show for a previous appearance due to being scheduled in different courts on the same day. A warrant for his arrest was also issued two weeks ago in Gauteng when Poole failed to show up for his trial, also on charges of fraud, in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Sandton on June 26. His bail had also been forfeited there.
