Durban — A 44-year-old police officer attached to the SAPS dog unit was granted bail in the Pinetown Magistrate’s on Monday.
Pedro Miguel Rodriguez is charged with the attempted murder of businessman Thabiso Ngcobo.
Rodriguez is charged along with nine other police officers who made their first appearance and were granted bail on July 11 when he was not in court and had not yet been arrested.
The officer and his nine co-accused were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
The alleged shooting incident took place on May 30, in Pinetown where the local businessman was driving along the M13 near Pinetown when the police pulled him over.
It is alleged that the police shot at him while he was sitting in the car.
According to Ipid, the businessman did not suffer any injuries but a case of attempted murder was opened against the police officers.
Ipid took over the case for investigation and as a result of the investigation, the nine police officers allegedly involved in that incident were arrested.
The nine were each granted bail of R5 000, on Monday Rodriguez was also granted R5 000 bail.
In court, State Prosecutor Ehud-Jadon Francke said that the State was not opposed to the officer’s release on bail.
Rodriguez is also charged with falsifying a registration number of a car.
Francke read out the investigating officer’s affidavit for purposes of bail.
“On May 30, 2024, the accused stopped the victim, he was with other police in the car they were travelling in with a false plate at the back there was no plate in the front, and they fired at the complainant in the car. The car was bullet proof, the complainant did not suffer any injuries however the car was severely damaged. The accused handed himself over to police after being contacted. He is not a flight risk, he has handed over his passport and is still employed by the SAPS. He co-operated with the IO, has no previous or pending cases against him.”
Francke said the accused could be granted bail with conditions that he does not interfere with the complainant and is to not enter the area of Hillcrest.
Rodriguez’s defence Henry Van Breda said his client could afford R5 000 bail adding that he had issues with the conditions the State had submitted.
“I have a problem with the condition that he does not enter Hillcrest. I submit that the first condition be that he not contact the complainant directly or indirectly. His residence borders on Hillcrest and he visits Hillcrest Hospital. If the prosecution feels it is imperative to add that he not go near the victim’s house or workplace it can be added but to say he can’t enter Hillcrest at all is rather impossible. With the other officers, I know that one of their bail conditions is that they not travel on the M13 and already this has caused problems,” he said.
The State had no objections to the bail conditions being amended, and Magistrate Wendalynn Robinson granted the accused bail.
The case was postponed to August 20 for further investigations, on this day Rodriguez will appear alongside the other officers charged with him.
Rodriguez, who had a mask on throughout court proceedings, handed himself over to police on Monday morning.
Speaking outside court, Ngcobo said he was not happy with how the court process went on Monday.
“There were many inconsistencies between the appearance of the other nine and Pedro. The nine were told to demask and they were allowed to be seen in camera, she didn’t even ask him to demask. She herself (Magistrate) does not know who she gave bail to because he was wearing a mask. Even him coming into court he was escorted by people who were not officers. I am happy with the fact that arrests happened even then there are questions. We were told there would be arrests but we heard of conversations where the accused were contacted and told to hand themselves over at that point Pedro was on leave for two weeks. I don’t know if that’s the procedure where you’re meant to be arrested but given a grace that you are on holiday or on leave.”
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