State unable to continue with Plett dog fighting case

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Technical issues forced yet another postponement in the trial involving six members of an alleged dog fighting syndicate, which was set to continue yesterday - exactly three years after the men were arrested in Plettenberg Bay.

The case was set to resume in the Thembalethu Magistrate's Court in George yesterday, but was postponed until October 8 this year after court officials found that the recordings of trial were largely inaudible.

Only the testimony of one witness is completely audible, while another witness's testimony is clear, but the recording of his interpreter is very faint. The State was therefore unable to continue with the trial on Tuesday.

The accused - Donald Wall of Victoria Park in Port Elizabeth, Rudi Wall of Queenstown, Peter Wall also of Queenstown, Owen Butler of East London, Yorick Grobbelaar of East London and Anton van Blerk also of East London - were part of a group of 10 men arrested during a police raid on a property in Ladywood in May 2011.

During the trial witnesses testified that during the bust they had found two dogs fighting in a massive blood-splattered wooden cage in the lounge of the home on the property. Police also found dog fighting paraphernalia as well as five other dogs chained on the property. The accused were allegedly standing around the cage cheering as two pitbulls fought.

In May last year three of the 10 men arrested that day - Johannes Joubert of Johannesburg, Ferdinand Endeman of Somerset West and Anthony Blake of Plettenberg Bay - pleaded guilty and were each handed a R15 000 fine or an 18 months prison sentence of which R1 000 or 12 months were suspended for three years.

In July last year Bill Marais, another Plett resident whose property was used for the fights, was sentenced to 18 months correctional supervision under house arrest and was also handed a R20 000 fine, half of which was suspended for four years. He also has to complete 288 hours of community service at the SPCA.
Two of the accused - Van Blerk and Butler - were convicted and sentenced in East London on similar charges in February this year.

Van Blerk was found guilty of being in possession of an animal for the purpose of fighting and was sentenced to a R15 000 fine or 18 months imprisonment of which R12 500 or 16 months was suspended for five years.

Both men were also fined R4000 or six months imprisonment - entirely suspended for five years - for being spectators at an illegal dogfight.
Butler was also sentenced to 18 months imprisonment or a R15 000 fine of which R12 500 or 16 months was suspended for five years for being in possession or control of a property for the purpose of animal fighting.

He was also sentenced to 10 months imprisonment or a R8000 fine, suspended for five years, for allowing animals to be kept on his premises for the purpose of animal fighting.
The court also ordered that both men may not, for the rest of their lives, directly or indirectly own or be in control of a dog.
They were among 12 people arrested during October 2008 for being involved in an organised dog fighting event on a Glendene smallholding near East London.