A man who found himself public enemy number one, after grim details of his alleged sex crime trended on social media, failed in his bid for freedom before Gaborone High Court last Friday.
Having been denied bail by Broadhurst Magistrates’ Court earlier in the week, 58-year-old accused child-rapist, Samuel Selolwane, sought urgent intervention from a higher power, appealing his remand.
However, Selolwane left court in shackles once again, Judge Barnabas Nyamadzabo sending him back to prison until 27th February, when he will make a ruling on the bail application.
Selolwane is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in Oodi village on 26th January, allegedly paying her mother close to P4 500 to deliver the child to him.
The young teenager’s mum, who has four other children, and a close friend, have also been arrested and charged with corrupting a child.
All three have pleaded not guilty, while the child has since been taken into care.
Fighting hard to ensure Selolwane remains locked up, at least for now, State Prosecutor, Bame Mogami, told High Court tempers in the community were still dangerously high.
“This is a sensitive matter, and the police need to be given enough time to thoroughly do their investigations. The public is still angry about the offence,” said Mogami, noting the suspect was safer in jail than out on the streets, where he may be in danger of the mob’s fury.
Arguing that his client deserved to be treated as innocent until proven guilty, defence lawyer, Obonye Jonas, noted he had fully cooperated with the cops, voluntarily handing himself in when they initially contacted him.
Trying in vain to convince the judge to grant him bail, Selolwane added, “There is no likelihood of me committing any offence while on bail. This is evident from the fact that I surrendered myself to the police upon request to do so. I am a law-abiding citizen. I commit to appearing before court each time that I am required to do so until the matter unfolds to conclusion.”
The suspect is back before Broadhurst Magistrates next week, when a ruling will be made on whether he has to go for blood tests or not; he is currently refusing to the police’s requests.
