Cape Town — Lourencia Lombaard, the fourth suspect accused in the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, has confessed that she was involved in the child’s disappearance.
Lombaard, who was making her second court appearance in the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court, was arrested last Monday and was later charged with human trafficking and kidnapping, the same charges against Joshlin’s mother, Kelly Smith, Jacquin Appollis and Steven Van Rhyn.
During her court appearance, Lombaard, who had opted for Legal Aid representation, abandoned her bid for bail, according to IOL. The matter was postponed and she will join her co-accused in court on May 13. She has been remanded in custody.
According to News24, when Lombaard was asked about her involvement, she responded with a simple “yes” . The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said there was no further word of what Lombaard may have “confessed” to, nor information on the child’s whereabouts.
She faces Schedule 6 charges, which carry a life sentence, so she would have had to show exceptional circumstances to justify bail. NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said information on the “confession” by Lombaard would only be revealed in court.
“The earliest is if one of them applies for bail. We still don’t have the child. We still don’t know where the child is,” he added.
[WATCH] The fifth suspect to be arrested for the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith has abandoned her bail application. She appeared at the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court today. She will remain behind bars until her next appearance on May 13. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/xxeWXhp4kS
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 25, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
