Mark Scott-Crossley, the man implicated in an alleged attempted murder outside Hoedspruit on 14 December will appear in the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (Friday) after he handed himself over to Police in Pretoria last Wednesday.
Provincial Police Head of Corporate Communication Motlafela Mojapelo said Scott-Crossley briefly appeared in court on Friday after which the case was postponed for bail application. He remains in custody.
A manhunt was launched for Scott-Crossley following the alleged attempt on the life of Silas Mabunda, an employee of an animal rehabilitation centre, by reportedly running him over twice with a 4×4 vehicle.
A day prior to his arrest Police were still searching for Scott-Crossley. Mojapelo then indicated that Scott-Crossley’s attorney allegedly approached the Hoedspruit Police Station to arrange for bail application. Mojapelo responded to the actions of the attorney saying that: “Once the suspect is brought in, he will be arrested and processed like any other suspect. Whereas we are aware of the suspect’s rights in terms of bail application, no process will be overlooked for purposes of giving any individual preferential treatment.”
Scott-Crossley made international headlines in 2004 after he threw a former employee, Nelson Chisale in a lion camp. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2005 but he turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein who set aside his murder conviction and imposed five years imprisonment because the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Chisale was still alive when he was thrown among the lions.
He served his sentence in the Barberton Maximum Security Prison and was released on parole in August 2008 after which he reportedly returned to his farm outside Hoedspruit.
Story: RC Myburgh
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Featured photo: Mark Scott-Crossley will appear in the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (Friday) after he handed himself over to the Police. (Photo: Internet)
