In the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, punches were thrown among the accused during the trial for the murder of Charl Kinnear.
Also read: Modack trial: Kinnear pinged over 100 times per day before assassination
The court was preparing for a witness to provide a testament regarding the murder attempt of lawyer William Booth and the alleged involvement of a Woodstock gang.
The State has argued that the attempted killing of Booth stemmed from instructions given by the Terrible West Siders, who were ‘doing a job’ for Nafiz Modack.
All 15 of the accused denied the charges.
With the inclusion of a new witness, the prosecutor, Blane Lazarus, read into the record the plea and sentencing deal for Riyaat Gesant, accused number 5, as a reason for the introduction of the new witness.
Gesant provided information regarding the situation involving Booth.
He named the people who were with him and who had given the orders. The information he provided made reference to the leader of the Terrible West Siders gang based in Woodstock.
In addition, Gesant remains implicated in other charges based on gang activity, which the State intends to rely on strengthen the Prevention of Organised Crime charges.
Gesant is thereby a part of the trial and sits as an accused, next to Bubbles Brown, who is the alleged leader of the Terrible West Siders.
Abruptly, Brown launched an attack on Gesant and started punching him, while the witness was brought in from witness protection.
Some of the accused became involved in the ongoing fist fight, while others chose to keep their distance.
Brown’s motive remains unknown.
The specialist police and orderlies managed to break up the fight.
According to News24, attendees of the court session either froze or ran away and hid.
Upon being ordered to move downstairs, Brown threw a watch at someone in the public gallery and also delivered a loud slap to someone’s back.
The court proceedings were interrupted until just after 2pm.
Also read:
Modack trial: Ex-cop warned of Kinnear’s danger, struggled to alert authorities
Picture: Jaco Marais / Gallo Images