No bail for Tiffany Meek
The Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court has denied bail to Tiffany Meek, the mother of 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek, citing concerns that her release would jeopardise the proper functioning of the criminal justice system and provoke public disorder.
Meek faces four charges: murder, obstructing justice, crimen injuria and attempted obstruction of justice, a TimesLIVE report notes.
Meek, through her lawyer Noven Naidoo, maintained her innocence, stating she was the one who insisted on a proper investigation into her son’s death. She argued she had no reason to evade trial, influence witnesses or endanger the public.
She said her family would suffer emotionally and financially if she remained in custody.
The state alleged Meek had staged an elaborate attempt to distance herself from the crime scene by falsely reporting her son missing despite allegedly knowing he was already dead in their flat.
The court was told Jayden-Lee was dropped off at Swazi Place in Fleurhof, Roodepoort, on the afternoon of 13 May but was not seen again.
His body was found the next morning near a stairwell, about 8m to 10m from Meek’s flat. A sniffer dog reacted positively to blood found on a pillow inside Meek’s unit.
While Meek denied knowledge of the evidence and suggested police tampering, the court found her explanations ‘dubious and disingenuous’.
Magistrate Anneline Africa said Meek’s conduct posed a risk of influencing witnesses and evading justice.
The court dismissed suggestions that the police investigation was flawed, stating Meek failed to present compelling evidence to prove the state’s case was weak or non-existent.
The court noted several contradictions in Meek’s version of events, including her omission that she returned to the flat early on 14 May.
‘The applicant has shown she has the ability to defeat or obstruct the administration of justice by causing other persons to be suspected and attempting to stage the crime scene,’ the magistrate read.
Referring to the online petition and public outrage after Meek’s arrest, the court found her release would ‘undermine the public peace and security’ and incentivise her to flee the province.
Meek will remain in custody until the trial is set to start in September, TimesLIVE reports.
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.
