According to a court source, a female accused escaped out the front doors of the courthouse on Monday and on Friday last week a 17-year-old, who was handcuffed and “aggressive”, made it out the front door but was caught in the parking area.
The reason they could make a run for it was because prisoners weren’t able to be kept in the holding cells due to the flooding so they had to wait for their court appearance on the flight of stairs leading to the courtroom.
“From this point, the only security keeping the prisoners there were the court orderlies. Because there is always a shortage of court orderlies present, and because they have to conduct other duties around the courthouse, there was clearly an opportunity created for these accused to escape,” the source said.
The source added that flooding was not a new problem at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, which is in a shocking state of disrepair overall.
“The rising water is caused by underground mine water. This is not the first time the holding cells have been flooded. In fact, it has happened before – in winter – and then we have accused coming up to the courtroom from the cells shivering because of the cold and because they’ve had to wait in water.
“We have also not been able to use one of the courtrooms because the flooding comes right up to the stairs, so prisoners cannot even access the courtroom from here.”
The court building belongs to the Department of Public Works and the maintenance is overseen by an employee of the Department of Justice.
“There has been talk about moving us to improved premises, but when this will happen is anyone’s guess. The current state of affairs at the courthouse is very concerning,” the source said.
One need only visit the courthouse, on the corner of Trichardts Road and Adderley Street in the CBD, to see how dilapidated and in need of maintenance the building is. The peeling paint, lack of space and unsavoury toilet facilities are, however, nothing compared to the deplorable and filthy conditions of the holding cells.
The Advertiser has requested comment from the Department of Public Works and was unable to reach the maintenance manager at the Department of Justice.
