UPDATE: John Banks murder – Mom, son sent remanded in separate prisons

Patricia (53) and Jarren (30) Banks’ bail application was postponed for the second time in the Benoni District Court
on February 1.

The wife and stepson stand accused of murdering local businessman and co-owner of Boden Chem Group in
Jatniel, John Hamilton George Banks (62), last July.

A formal bail application was brought before Magistrate Smita Naidoo on January 29, 12 days after their
arrest on January 17.

The pair briefly appeared on January 18 then remanded at Benoni Police Station pending their next appearance.

Reading the affidavits on behalf of his clients to form part of their bail application, the defence expressed concern
over the time that had lapsed between the arrests and the bail application being heard.

In the affidavit, Patricia and Jarren claimed they felt they were being forced to make incriminating admissions due to being held at the police station.

Naidoo reiterated that the matter could not be heard on an earlier date due to scheduling constraints.

However, heeding their concerns, Jarren was transferred to Modderbee Correctional Services and Patricia to
Johannesburg Prison.

Sitting together in the dock on February 1, Patricia became emotional as prosecutor Thokozile Mabena read an affidavit compiled by the investigating officer.

The document forms part of the state’s opposition to bail, claiming the pair could be a flight risk.

The matter resumes on February 20.

Excerpts from investigating officer’s timeline read in court:
• July 19 – Patricia Banks claims the last time she saw her husband of 18 years was at 20:30. She said her
husband was in the entertainment area of their Jatniel home, visiting with a friend. Patricia alleged she
had a headache and had taken a sleeping tablet and gone to bed.

• July 21 – Patricia contacted Netstar Vehicle Tracking and Recovery in an attempt to locate Banks’ missing
vehicle. It was later found in Birchleigh. The tracking report supplied for investigative purposes indicated the vehicle was in motion from 23:30 to 23:58 on July 19. Between 00:10 and 00:22 on July 20, the vehicle was in
Elandsfontein, in the vicinity where Banks’ body was discovered. At 01:20, the vehicle was brought to a stop in Kempton Park, where the burnt-out wreckage was found.

• July 25 – Despite Banks’ body being burnt beyond recognition, Jarren positively identified it at the Germiston Mortuary by means of a surgical pin located in Banks’ elbow.

• August 14 – The Benoni investigating officer received the case dockets from the Bedfordview and Norkem
Park SAPS. Also gathered was footage from a community monitored CCTV system.

• September – A forensic investigation of the entertainment area at the Banks’ home found evidence of blood. Samples were collected, the results are still outstanding to determine whether the samples match those of Banks. The cellphone records of Patricia’s SIM and two SIM cards belonging to Jarren were handed to the police.

• October 13 – Patricia and Jarren were again questioned, with both claiming they were asleep at home and no phone calls were made. Both were still in possession of their phones.

• January 17 – Patricia and Jarren were arrested on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and perjury.

Further to the above, the police laid out phonecall records so far gathered and also revealed that the Banks’ water bottling and treatment company in Jatniel, which was founded in 2021 by the couple and where Jarren worked as a manager, has not been operational since the victim’s death.

Background
The Vulnerable Citizens Support Initiative circulated information about Banks’ disappearance after the accused reported him missing on July 19.

At the time, the information indicated that he was last seen leaving his home at 07:00.

On July 20, members of the Bedfordview Police Station responded to a call at the Elandsfontein train station, where a burnt body had been found.

An inquest docket was opened.

The next day, the victim’s burnt-out Land Rover was found in Birchleigh.

Following a forensic investigation, the remains were positively identified as those of Banks.

The Norkem Park and Bedfordview SAPS dockets relating to the separate crime scenes were transferred to the
Benoni SAPS to centralise the investigation.

ALSO READ: FOLLOW-UP: Banks wife, son seek bail

ALSO READ: FOLLOW-UP: Wife, stepson are arrested for murder of Benoni businessman