Murder case of Brackenfell special needs teacher postponed due to power cuts
|Published
Murder victim Shane Human’s family outside Blue Down Magistrate’s Court to oppose bail being granted to Gareth Blight. l MANDILAKHE TSHWETE
Cape Town - The case against the Brackenfell man who allegedly murdered his neighbour, a special needs teacher, during an altercation, was postponed due to power cuts. Gareth Blight was arrested on April 29 over the stabbing of 33-year-old Shane Human.
Human was with his family and friends when a fight with his Protea Village neighbour broke out.
Human went to the accused’s home where he was stabbed once in the chest with a kitchen knife.
The Bishop Lavis School of Skills teacher took a few steps to his house and collapsed. He was declared dead on the scene. Blight appeared at the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning.
His attorney dropped him and he opted for Legal Aid before the case was postponed to May 22 for a bail application.
It was decided by the court that Blight’s case would be postponed due to load shedding as the court would have needed to record the proceedings on electronic devices.
Human’s mother, Ursula Berry, 59, said: “I just want justice to prevail. I want him to be locked up.
“He made racist remarks to my son and then killed him.
“I will never forget the day I received the call about the incident and when I went to the scene and the police barring me from seeing him.”
The victim’s family arrived at the court armed with placards opposing bail and a petition signed by 380 Protea Village residents.
Human’s sister, Robyn Berry, said even the Fernpark Neighbourhood Watch didn’t want Blight around.
“They wrote in a letter that Gareth Blight was a known criminal, a threat to society and had to be held accountable for his actions and should not be released from prison.
“No one wants him there. We have been doing our own research on Blight and we are also going to find out the reason why the police closed the first case my brother opened in December.”
Ursula said that Human’s funeral would take place tomorrow morning.
“On Wednesday, we had his memorial service at his school. His students welded something for him,” she added.
