The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
CAPE TOWN, June 7 (ANA) A police warrant officer, accused of boiling blood samples in drunken driving cases, appeared in a court in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Shaun Donovan Hoffman, 45, formerly based at the Pinelands police station in Cape Town, faces five counts of defeating the administration of justice and three of corruption.
He made his fourth appearance in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville, Cape Town, on Tuesday, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
At the request of prosecutor Thersia du Toit-Smit, the magistrate warned him to appear in court again on June 27.
She also extended the R2 000 bail, granted last year by Goodwood District Court magistrate, Shaun Lea.
In Tuesday’s proceedings, defence attorney Helena Brink took over from attorney Werner Boucher, who withdrew from the case.
The case relates to three different drunken driving cases.
It is alleged that Hoffman boiled blood samples in a microwave oven, before sending the samples for forensic analysis that would determine their blood-alcohol levels.
In one case, he is alleged to have requested a R1 000 bribe from a drunken driving suspect in May last year, to make the evidence in the case “disappear”.
For this, he faces one charge of corruption, and another of defeating the administration of justice.
In another case, he is accused of similarly requesting a R1 000 bribe from another drunken driving suspect, also in May last year, to make the evidence disappear as well.
For this, he faces another charge of corruption, and another of defeating the administration of justice.
In the third case, it is alleged that he requested a R2 000 bribe from a third drunk driving suspect, in August last year, also to destroy the evidence.
Similarly, for this he faces one count of corruption, and one of defeating the administration of justice.
On the remaining two counts of defeating the administration of justice, the State alleges that his actions compelled Goodwood’s senior prosecutor, Mike Greenwood, to withdraw the charges.
-African News Agency (ANA)
Disclaimer: This story is pulled directly from the African News Agency wire, and has not been edited by Mail & Guardian staff. The M&G does not accept responsibility for errors in any statement, quote or extract that may be contained therein.