Peters to undergo mental assessment
If the accused from Mbombela is found that he was mentally unfit when he allegedly killed his grandmother, he might not go to prison.
JJ Peters might avoid a jail term if it is found that he was mentally unfit when he allegedly killed his grandmother in March 2022.
Peters briefly appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Monday January 30 when his legal team requested he undergoes a mental assessment to determine if he is mentally sound before pleading. His Legal Aid South Africa lawyer will submit an application that he must undergo mental observation before his murder trial can proceed. This will be done to ensure he is fit to stand trial and understands the gravity of the crime he allegedly committed.
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The prosecution team said Peters was supposed to plead guilty during his appearance on January 30 as per their consultation with him and his legal team. However, the defence wanted to submit the new application to the court. The matter was postponed to February 1 for a formal application to this effect.
Meanwhile, a local criminal lawyer, Samuel Mahlatji, said if Peters is found to be mentally unfit, the court will refer him to a mental institution so that he can be assessed until he is fit, and in that way, he might avoid being sentenced to jail.
ALSO READ: JJ Peters appears in Nelspruit Regional Court for murder
“If the court accepts the application, he will be released from police custody into a guardian’s care while attending the assessment by a doctor. After the observation, the doctor must give feedback to the court regarding if he should stand trial or not, and if he was mentally sound when he committed the crime or not,” he said.
Peters has been in police custody for 11 months now after he abandoned his bail application. He is accused of murdering his gran, Sannie Strydom Kilmister (68), on February 28, 2022. He had been sharing her house on a smallholding in the Cromdale area. She was found dead in her bedroom with various bruise marks on her neck and splashes of blood on her pillow.
