William Booth attempted murder accused pleads guilty to drug-related charge

A woman who is among those accused of the attempted murder of Cape Town lawyer William Booth, has pleaded guilty to a separate drug-related charge.

Kim Smith was part of the group of people who were arrested after Booth was shot at in his garage in Cape Town last April.

They are accused of attempted murder, involvement in gang activities, and the violation of Disaster Management Act regulations.

Last year, Smith was released on bail in the Booth matter but on 30 December, she and another woman were arrested in Woodstock for the possession of two units of methamphetamine, known locally as tik, and one unit of mandrax.

She pleaded guilty, adding a fourth drug-related offence to her record.

During arguments presented ahead of her sentencing, Smith’s lawyer stated that she had not used drugs for a year but relapsed after her mother’s death.

She was at her sister’s house where they were receiving condolences for their loss and when she left and decided to buy drugs, the court heard.

The court also heard that the single mother of three had also been retrenched last year and that she was still unemployed.

But the prosecutor had argued that trauma should not be used as an excuse and asked for imprisonment without the option of a fine.

The magistrate took Smith’s children and her guilty plea into account, and imposed a fine of R1,000 or 30 days in prison.

Charges were withdrawn against the woman who was with her at the time of the arrest.

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