The man who held several Pretoria News employees hostage last year on Tuesday pleaded guilty to 11 of the charges against him.
Lionel George (32), of Danville, admitted in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court that he entered the newspaper’s building in Vermeulen Street in the city centre on April 25 last year with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and kidnapped nine people, holding them hostage against their will in an office.
However, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to kill police Constable David Bapela when he allegedly shot him in the lower leg.
George appeared nervous when the charges were read to him. Behind him in the public gallery were the employees he held hostage.
They were subpoenaed to testify in the trial, but were allowed to leave the court once it emerged that George would plead guilty to charges relating to them.
Defence advocate Ingrid Melvin informed magistrate Ben Booysen that she was still drafting the accused’s plea explanation, which included a factual account of the events that day.
She requested to hand it in on Friday when the accused will appear again. The matter of the attempted murder will then also go to trial.
George was arrested on April 25 2007 after police blocked off streets to the building and evacuated personnel.
The hostages were later released and George handed himself over after hostage negotiators convinced him to do so.
He will remain in custody as he was earlier denied bail. — Sapa