Mulbarton restaurant shooting case set for trial in February

The case in which Daniel Rowland stands accused of murder was postponed to February 12 to 16 next year.

Magistrate Habib, at the Booysens Magistrate’s Court, pronounced this on August 16.

It happened after the case endured a shaky start when only the nine witnesses were called and warned by the magistrate on August 14.

Initially, on February 24, when he last appeared, it was said that the case would sit for August 14, 16, 17 and 18.

In court, it was established that the prosecutor would not be available for August 16, 17 and 18 because she would undergo a medical procedure. Therefore, a new prosecutor was required.

The case had to stand down for this matter to be discussed because the magistrate said she was not in favour of using two different prosecutors in this case. The case was then postponed to August 16 for the continuation of the trial.

On August 16

It was another wait-and-see situation as there were again delays on the day. The stand-in prosecutor was not present at the court, and the one present couldn’t continue with the case because he first needed to consult with the witnesses before the trial started.

Habib asked the prosecutor why they did not do the consultations before August 14 because she would not allow them to happen during her court time.

She also mentioned that there were other trials on the roll, which made it difficult to start this trial now and stop. She suggested a new date be set, and would ensure those days were blocked solely for this trial.

Rowland’s lawyers said they were ready to start the trial. They attended court on August 14 and 16. They felt their client had been prejudiced, and there were financial implications as well.

Rowland is accused of injuring a woman in a restaurant after firing off a shot with his gun. The woman later died in hospital. The incident happened on July 30 last year at Il Camino Italian Restaurant in Mulbarton.
Rowland’s bail was extended.