Latest news with #BellvilleMagitsrate'sCourt
IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
Accused kidnapper Sameemah Jacobs back in the dock
Sameemah Jacobs appears in the Bellville Magitsrate's Court, charged with kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers The woman accused of kidnapping 9 day old Mogamat Imaad Sharmar is expected back in the dock on Thursday for the continuation of her bail application. Cross-examination by Sameemah Jacobs's Legal Aid lawyer, Asongewa Mafuya, is expected to take place in the Bellville Magistrate's Court. Jacobs is charged with kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice and may face additional charges as the investigation continues. A week ago, State prosecutor Salaahuddeen Simon completed his portion of presenting the reasons why Jacobs was not a candidate for bail. Sergeant Dawid Fortuin took the witness stand in which he said Jacobs was a flight risk and that the community's plight had to be considered. Fortuin gave a blow-by-blow account of how baby Imaad was kidnapped. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading He said Jacobs had befriended Imaad's mother, Imaan Sharmar, also known as Britney Brandt, in February while she visited the clinic. He said that a day prior to the kidnapping, a woman by the name of "Chevon" contacted Sharmar and said she would receive R500 in cash and a baby parcel when they attended a workshop in Bellville on June 28. Imaad was found two days later at Jacobs's home following a tip-off from the Tafelsig residents. Fortuin had the court hanging on his lips when he detailed how Jacobs was attempting to breastfeed Imaad and that baby was crying. He said Jacobs had hospital documentation which had been tampered with. In another twist, he said a witness, who cannot be identified, gave police a statement that she had visited Jacobs at the Bellville Police Station following her arrest, in which she claimed that Sharmar had given her the baby and that she did not kidnap the infant. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
IOL News
23-07-2025
- IOL News
WATCH: Alleged baby snatcher claims bipolar disorder as bail hearing unfolds
Sameemah Jacobs appears in the Bellville Magitsrate's Court. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers In a dramatic twist of events, alleged baby snatcher, Sameemah Jacobs, said she suffers from bipolar disorder. This, as the State presented crucial cellphone evidence on Wednesday, alluding that she had represented herself as three different persons while carrying out the crime. Jacobs, 37, was widely supported by her family at the Bellville Magistrate's Court where she faces charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of administrative justice. Closing arguments in her much-anticipated bail application continued where Sergeant Dawid Fortuin presented new evidence, that of cellphone records, pertaining to the merits of the State's case. Fortuin, from the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit for Kidnapping, took the witness stand armed with the evidential cellphone records, in which he detailed that they had confiscated cellphones from Jacobs following her arrest, one of which had a dual SIM. He said the records showcased that three persons, namely a Sameemah, Wasiema, and Chevon Classen, had used three different cellphone numbers with three different IMEI numbers - alluding that the person in question was Jacobs who had represented herself as such. He stated that the records showed that on June 18 and 19, the cellphone of Jacobs was found in the jurisdiction of the Mitchell's Plain District Hospital where the mother of baby Mogamat Imaad Sharmar, Imaan Sharmar, had given birth. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He said the cellphone records further showed that Jacobs had been in Strandfontein on June 28, the date of the kidnapping, and Chevon at Middestad mall in Bellville. Fortuin added that queries with management about the the identity of Chevon, who claimed to work for an NPO, the Zoey Project, which assisted mothers, was confirmed to have no staff member with that name Jacobs's lawyer Asongewa Mafuya dropped a bombshell when presenting his arguments as to why she was a candidate for bail. He said Jacobs was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2023 and had three children, one of which was a minor aged seven years. Mafuya said the State did not present evidence to prove that she would disturb or interfere with the matter, or that she was a flight risk. He added that Jacobs's children were in the care of her friend while her 67-year-old mother was in hospital. The magistrate asked the State to clarify who Chevon was. "Was Chevon and Sameemah in the vehicle the day of the kidnapping?" he asked. The State clarified that to the Uber driver Jacobs had been presented and to Sharmar, Chevon had been presented. Fortuin stated that with the inquiry relating to another victim, that of a 15 year old girl, who was pregnant, they were waiting for vital video footage of her vehicle. He said her arrest was imminent in that matter. State prosecutor, Salaahuddeen Simon, presented arguments as to why Jacobs was not a candidate for bail, in which he cited that the public's trust in the justice system and that she could evade her trial and that she was a flight risk or could interfere or destroy evidence. The matter was postponed for bail consideration to July 28. The State is set to prove that Jacobs kidnapped Imaad on June 28 at Middestad Mall after pretending to be a sponsor for the Zoey Project and that she had befriended Sharmar prior to that. Earlier, Fortuin detailed that a witness who visited Jacobs behind bars following her arrest, said she claimed she did not kidnap the infant but that she was given the baby by the mother whom she had given money and takkies. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
IOL News
18-07-2025
- IOL News
Accused baby kidnapper's actions 'calculated', says officer
Sameemah Jacobs appears in the Bellville Magitsrate's Court, charged with kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers Sergeant Dawid Fortuin of the Serious and Violent Crimes Kidnapping Unit told the Bellville Magistrate's court that the actions of the woman accused of kidnapping a nine-day-old baby were calculated and posed a risk to society. Sameemah Jacobs, who faces charges of kidnapping and potentially defeating the ends of justice, appeared in court on Thursday. She was arrested two days after the disappearance of baby Mogamat Imaad Sharmar. The baby was allegedly taken from his mother, Imaan Sharmar (also known as Britney Brandt), on June 28 at Middestad Mall in Bellville. Sharmar believed she was attending a support workshop for single mothers under the banner of the Zoey Project. Jacobs was later found with the baby, who was unharmed. She was arrested following tip-offs from the community. During her bail application, Magistrate G Ndaleni raised the issue of whether keeping Jacobs in custody might infringe on the rights of her own child, referencing Section 28 of the Constitution, which protects the best interests of children. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'She is a first-time offender. Has it been proven that the accused would endanger the public?' the magistrate asked during proceedings. However, Fortuin testified that Jacobs's actions posed a risk to society. 'The victim is also a nine-day-old child. He has rights too,' Fortuin told the court. He presented a petition compiled by Faith and Hope Missing Persons founder Veranique 'Benji' Williams, which argued against Jacobs's release. Fortuin explained that the organisation had contacted him before the arrest, and that members of the community had expressed concerns about Jacobs's presence in the neighbourhood. 'The organisation informed me that they would be drafting a petition against her release,' he said. The petition, supported by a formal memorandum, called on the court to prioritise child safety and public trust in the justice system. It referenced constitutional and legal duties to protect children from harm, and warned that bail could undermine community confidence. Jacobs's Legal Aid lawyer, Asangezwa Mafuya, argued that his client was not a flight risk. He said she owns a home and vehicle, and has a seven-year-old child who depends on her. He added that Jacobs had cooperated with the police and did not resist arrest. But Fortuin disagreed, stating: 'A house you can sell and flee with the vehicle. The fact that she went with us doesn't mean she'll come to court every time.' He further alleged that Jacobs had used three different identities to mislead the victim. 'The complainant thought she was meeting someone else. The accused disguised herself and misled the victim,' he said. Fortuin also linked Jacobs to another case involving a 15-year-old girl, still under investigation, in which the same phone number was used. Mafuya questioned whether there was any evidence that Jacobs had poisoned the baby's mother, which had been suggested informally. Fortuin clarified: 'We've never alleged poisoning.' The defence proposed strict bail conditions, including house arrest and weekly reporting to police. Mafuya also submitted a counter-petition calling for Jacobs's release, with 111 signatures from residents in Eerste River, Heideveld and Manenberg. Fortuin downplayed the petition, stating that some of the pages lacked proper details and it represented a small portion of the community. He warned that house arrest would be ineffective, pointing out that Jacobs wears a pardah and could not easily be identified if she left home without permission. 'She was desperate, and there's no guarantee she won't do it again,' Fortuin said. He also testified that Jacobs falsely claimed the baby was hers, which may form part of potential obstruction of justice charges. He said she had told one witness that her husband made her confused, a statement he believed was meant to deflect responsibility. Mafuya requested a postponement to finalise an affidavit in support of bail. However, Magistrate Ndaleni criticised the delay. 'You're not ready with your affidavit – it doesn't take long to produce one,' he remarked. The matter was postponed to July 23 for the defence to complete the affidavit and for further bail arguments to be heard. Cape Times
