POLOKWANE – Advocate Makgomotchi Masehela for the State pleaded with Presiding Officer, Magistrate Jane Ngobeni in the District Court in Polokwane earlier today, to send Bishop Lucas Peter Sinclair to a correctional facility pending a possible postponement of the case after his lawyer, Advocate Lott Ramusi alleged that Sinclair was ill and needed to go to the doctor.
Ramusi said Sinclair, who sat with his head bent or resting it on his hand most of the time, had forced himself to be at the court. He was to be sentenced today following the testimonies of the last two witnesses, which included a social worker, rendering their reports to court.
Masehela argued that all services were in place and that Sinclair could also get medical treatment in jail. He maintained that the case has been dragging on since 2016 and that most of the postponements were as the result of Sinclair pleading to be ill, or his lawyer’s absence following a vehicle accident.
Ngobeni instructed Sinclair to visit his doctor to get a medical certificate, and told him to be back in court at 14:00. He did supply a medical certificate at 14:00, of which she said she could not read the cause of his illness, but as she was not in a position to go against the doctor’s finding that he will be fit on 4 March, she postponed the case.
Due to conflicting cases the lawyers in the end decided on 23 March as the date when the case would resume.
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Sinclair, from Westenburg, was arrested in February 2016 on several counts of sexual assault and charges of public indecency. Following a series of alleged indecent acts, a number of women from Sinclairs’ church community came forward. Sinclair was charged with seven counts of assault: three sexual assaults, three indecency assaults and an attempted sexual assault, all of which he pleaded not guilty to.
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He initially was arrested on four counts of sexual assault against women in his community but a fifth sexual assault charge was also laid against him following his arrest. The trial started on 3 March 2017. He was released on R5 000 bail.
Sinclair was found guilty on two counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in November last year.
Family members of Sinclair, including his brother and sister, three children and daughter-in-law and supporters of some of Sinclair’s victims were at the court. Family members of the victims told Review that they are disgusted by yet another postponement, but added that justice will prevail at the end.
