Taxi driver Jacob Humphreys, found guilty last year of the murder of 10 schoolchildren, wants his bail extended.
|||Taxi driver Jacob Humphreys, found guilty last year of the murder of 10 schoolchildren, is expected to approach the Western Cape High Court judge who convicted him to extend his bail until sentencing is finalised.
His advocate, Johann Engelbrecht SC, on Thursday told the Cape Argus the matter has been set down for Monday.
Humphreys has been convicted of 10 counts of murder after 10 children died when he dodged a boom at the Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath last August and collided with a train.
He was also convicted of four counts of attempted murder, relating to the four children who survived the crash.
Humphreys was out on R20 000 bail throughout his trial, but was taken into custody after the presiding judge, Robert Henney, found the offences he had been convicted of were serious.
He later returned to court to ask for leave to appeal against Judge Henney’s refusal to extend his bail. But since the high court was in recess and Judge Henney was not available, the application could not be heard.
Just days before Christmas, his legal representatives approached Acting Deputy Judge President Siraj Desai to release him on bail until Judge Henney became available.
Judge Desai extended bail, but ordered that it lapse at the end of January. He said Humphreys should by then bring the application before Judge Henney.
Sentencing procedures are to take place on February 20.
fatima.schroeder@inl.co.za - Cape Argus