No bail for Stanfield’s wife
Nicole Johnson – wife of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield – will remain in prison after the Western Cape High Court dismissed her bail appeal and lambasted her for being a ‘liar’.
In what the Cape Argus calls a scathing judgment, Judge Hayley Slingers took issue with various aspects of the claims made by Johnson in her failed bail applications.
Johnson was arrested alongside Stanfield in their plush Constantia home late last year by the Anti-Gang Unit after intense investigations into a botched hit on a former employee.
The duo had appeared alongside Johannes ‘Bal’ Abrahams, Denver Booysen and Jose Brand in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on charges linked to the manhunt of a former employee after he allegedly stole more than R1m from the couple.
Johnson’s bail was initially denied, notes the Cape Argus report. She subsequently brought a new application based on new facts including the health of her teen daughter.
But her application was dealt a blow when the state played an audio recording from Tracker showing she had allegedly committed fraud.
Johnson’s legal team argued she had the owner’s permission to call Tracker. But Slingers found: ‘The evidence shows Johnson resented the employee who stole from her and felt she was entitled to, in her words, do what she had to do, which evidently included taking the law into her own hands.’
The judge also highlighted Johnson’s failure to reveal that she received R70 000 as income from the Ayepyep Nightclub during her bail hearings.
In conclusion, the judge noted that should Johnson be released, the court was of the view that she would attempt to influence or intimidate witnesses, and destroy evidence.
‘A holistic analysis of the evidence portrays Johnson as a person who does what she needs to, even if this means being deceptive and taking the law into her own hands. She does not hesitate to lie and give false evidence if she thinks it will benefit her. Such a person does not respect the legal system and would not hesitate to undermine the criminal justice system.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
