Defence challenges witness’s claim that officer called Stanfield ‘untouchable’

Ralph Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson, at the Western Cape High Court.

A police officer allegedly described Ralph Stanfield and his co-accused as “untouchable”, a security officer has testified in the Western Cape High Court.

The defence challenged the witness over why he had not mentioned the alleged remark in his police statement and could not recall when it was made. The questioning also focused on whether Stanfield had been carrying a firearm during an alleged incident at Palm Springs Apartments.

Witness 3 testified that Stanfield, Nicole Johnson and Johannes “Bal” Abrahams allegedly forced their way into the Palm Springs Apartments premises. He said seeing firearms in the possession of the accused had hindered him from carrying out his duties.

He told the court that he alerted Witness 1, the security manager at the time, after noticing that one of the people entering the complex was armed. Witness 1 then instructed him to contact the police, he testified.

When officers arrived, Witness 3 was clamping a BMW, an action he said had been instructed by his superior.

The witness also testified that a responding police officer had allegedly told him during a private conversation that the individuals involved were “untouchable”.

Stanfield’s defence attorney questioned why the alleged comment had not appeared in Witness 3’s statement.

The witness was shown the statement to refresh his memory. He explained that the remark had been made during a side conversation with the officer and that he could not be expected to remember every detail.

Asked when the officer had allegedly made the comment, the witness said he could not recall.

The defence argued that the omission and the witness’s inability to remember when the remark was made raised concerns about inconsistencies in his testimony.

The defence also questioned whether Stanfield had been carrying a firearm. Witness 3 said he had no evidence to support that.

During the exchange, the witness expressed frustration, saying: “AkayoComputer yena akazokhumbula yonk’into,” which translates as: he is not a computer and could not be expected to remember everything.

The defence continued to challenge the credibility of his evidence, arguing that there were inconsistencies between his testimony in court and his earlier statement.

Prosecutor Frank Van Heerden told the court he had received information alleging that a defence attorney representing accused number six had approached a witness and sought to discuss statements submitted to court.

Van Heerden identified the attorney as Advocate Lyle Hendricks. Judge Mantame did not allow Hendricks to respond to the allegation because he was not dressed appropriately for court proceedings.

Before proceedings resumed, Stanfield and Johnson shared a kiss after police officers subjected Johnson to a pat-down search to ensure she was not carrying prohibited items. They then separated to consult their legal teams.

The trial continues at the Western Cape High Court.