Man accused of raping 13-year-old denied bail again

 

Rape accused Samuel Selolwane with his Lawyer, Dr Jonas

They say lightning does not strike the same place twice, but in the case of rape accused, Samuel Selolwane, he has indeed been struck twice by the High Court on his bail application.

Selolwane was denied bail for the second time by the High Court this Monday. Selolwane is charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in Oodi on January 26th. He is charged alongside the victim’s mother and her friend who are both jointly charged for aiding the sexual violence against the minor.

After being denied bail at the lower courts by Magistrate Linah Oahile-Mokibe, Selolwane’s attorney, Dr Obonye Jonas applied for an urgent bail before the High Court. The accused person was again denied bail by Justice Barnabas Nyamadzabo on the 27th of February this year.

Giving his judgement, Gaborone High Court Judge, Justice Segopolo found the petitioner’s application to be improperly before the High Court, stating that there was no change of circumstances to warrant such a move.

He said the petitioner is abusing the court process and he, Segopolo, does not have the revisionary capacity to adjudicate decisions of the other judge unless facts have materially altered.

During the proceedings, Justice Segopolo expressed frustration with Dr Jonas’s inability to provide sufficient reasoning for the application being brought before the court and failing to assist with the enquiry, highlighting that Dr Jonas only provided hearsay before the court with no confirmatory affidavit.

Justice Segopolo further elaborated that Selolwane’s refusal to cooperate with a forensic examination is impeding the investigation process.

Representing the state, Seeletso Ookeditse emphasised that there has been no change of circumstances to warrant bail and expressed concern that Selolwane may interfere with the investigation if granted bail.

Selolwane remains in custody and will appear before Magistrate Linah Oahile-Mokibe on the 25th of April 2024 where judgment will be made on the state’s application to compel Selolwane to undergo a forensic examination.