AlgoaFM News
The provisional bail judgement of the woman accused of strangling her boyfriend's nine-year-old daughter to death will be made known on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Leslie-Anne Damons was back in the PE Magistrate's court on Monday after being charged with the murder of young Quinisha Sebrand last month.
It is alleged that Damons took the victim from her Bethelsdorp home for a haircut but ended up at Maitlands Beach where she strangled her with her own shoelaces.
According to investigating officer, Colonel Rio Kriel, the accused admitted to taking a shoelace from the victim's shoes while she was swimming and strangling her.
Colonel Kriel says the accused then strangled Sebrand a second time until she stopped moving.
The court heard that Damons first attempted to report the matter to the Seaview Police Station but found it closed. With the help of an Atlas security guard stationed in the area, Kabega police were called in and she led them to the crime scene where she was arrested.
During Monday's proceedings, the State said they suspected revenge might have been the motive behind the child's murder.
This, after it emerged from the Defense's submissions that the accused terminated her pregnancy in 2019 because the victim's father, Quinton Goodman, was not welcoming of the unborn child.
A 400 signatory petition for her bail release by community members submitted to court said Damons had endured three-years of emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of Goodman.
A 2019 suicide note, purportedly written by Damons but never given to Goodman, along with a photograph of both the deceased and the accused, were also submitted to court during the bail application.
The State argues that the murder of Sebrand was premediated and that Damons should not be given bail as her release could lead to community violence.
State Prosecutor Milani Hemmett argued that the applicant could be a danger to herself. She also questioned her mental wellness saying it was concerning that she had not shown any sort of emotion during the bail-hearing.
Defense Advocate Mpumelelo Nyoka argued that her client was a perfect candidate for bail as she was not a flight risk and had co-operated with the police.
Damons has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder against her.
The matter will be back in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on the 14th of April.
