Mail & Guardian reporter=20
POLICE have dropped charges against a man who half blew =20 himself up while attempting to blast open an auto-=20 teller machine, because it was too expensive to pay his =20 stay at a Johannesburg private hospital.=20
The man, a Mr Brits, was admitted to the hospital on =20 Monday last week as an awaiting-trial patient after he =20 took the brunt of an explosion allegedly supposed to =20 blow open a Nedbank ATM in Springs.=20
Two days after Brits, blinded and critically wounded, =20 was taken to Milpark Hospital, police dropped charges, =20 letting the state off the hook for his medical =20
A Milpark employee last week claimed this prompted =20 hospital management to put pressure on doctors to =20 discharge Brits, but a hospital representative denied =20
A police representative said: “The case was withdrawn =20 because he is connected to a life support machine which =20 is costing the state a considerable amount of money. A =20 decision was made to withdraw charges until he can =20 appear before court when charges will be laid against =20 him again.”=20