Amy’Leigh kidnapping case postponed to January 9

The kidnapping case of Amy’Leigh de Jager has been postponed to January 9. The three suspects who allegedly kidnapped the six-year-old Amy’Leigh in September appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

Tharina Human, 27, alongside 50-year-old Pieter van Zyl, was denied bail last month, while the third accused, Letitia Nel, was granted R25,000 bail on condition that she report to the Vanderbijlpark police station every Wednesday.

A fourth accused, Bafokeng Malemohe, who had abandoned his bail application, faces charges of kidnapping and extortion.

The trio was arrested for allegedly kidnapping Amy’Leigh and taking her to a smallholding in Rosashof near Vanderbijlpark. She was reportedly made to stay put in a cooling room under a water tank.

Human, who has since been fired from her teaching post at Laerskool Kollegapark, is alleged to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping. She was also a close friend of the De Jager family.

The six-year-old was snatched outside her school in Vanderbijlpark on September 2. During their bail hearing, Judge Hussein Khota said the three violated Amy’Leigh’s constitutional right to freedom of movement.

Taking into account the threats made to the trio inside court, Khota said it influenced the court’s view, that pointed fingers highlighted some form of threat to the three and that it could prompt the suspects to flee.

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