Shock in court: Accused teenager emerges in Alan Gordon murder trial
The accused allegedly robbed Gordon before dumping his body in Ndwedwe and burning it.
The media found themselves swiftly ousted from proceedings at the Durban magistrate’s court on Friday as revelations surfaced regarding one of the six individuals accused in the harrowing murder case of Durban art gallery owner, Alan Gordon.
The pivotal detail? One of the accused, it emerged, is a juvenile.
This marked the fourth appearance for the accused in court, with bail arguments poised for formal presentation.
However, proceedings were abruptly halted when the mother of the fourth accused produced a birth certificate indicating her son’s age to be 17, contrary to the previously stated age of 19 as documented in the charge sheet.
This six weeks after their first appearance on March 15.
Presiding officer, Magistrate Lekoa Lekoko promptly invoked the necessity for an in-camera session, citing the involvement of a minor among the accused.
Consequently, only the parents and close relatives of the accused were permitted to remain.
The 17-year-old, slated to turn 18 in September, then made a solo appearance on Monday, with the authenticity of the presented birth certificate reportedly validated.
The bail hearing for Nkanyiso Mathenjwa (28), Mnqobi Hloboyi (19), Sphesihle Vilakazi (21), Mvelo Hlambisa (19), Luleki Gwala (19) and the juvenile accused is set to be heard on Thursday, May 2 in-camera.
According to a police source, most arrestees do not carry identification and commonly give bogus ID numbers. But the police are able to verify ID numbers if the person has previously applied for an ID card.
Failing that, the person should be taken home to find some form of identification to verify their age within 48 hours of arrest and before the first court appearance.
Gordon (57) was first reported missing on March 8 in Komatipoort, Mphumalanga by his brother, Brian. Greenwood Park Saps had all six suspects in custody within five days.
Speaking to the Courier on Friday, Brian said his elderly father, who lives at Shoreline, Sibaya used to see Alan regularly and is taking terrible strain.
According to the charge sheet, the accused are each charged with two schedule six offences, including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances as well as a schedule five theft offence.
They are said to have acted in common purpose on each offense. A fourth charge of defeating the ends of justice for burning Gordon’s body was added at their third appearance in court.
The accused allegedly murdered the Etchings Gallery owner at or near his home in Brownsdrift Road, Durban North on March 8. He was strangled, repeatedly struck with a blunt object and then stabbed multiple times with a knife.
The accused allegedly robbed Gordon of his cell phone and VW T-Roc before dumping his body in Ndwedwe and burning it. They also allegedly withdrew R120 000 from the deceased’s bank account on the same day.
Owing to the seriousness of the charges, the case has been referred to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to be moved to the High Court. That decision is still pending.
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