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Preshan Singh leaves Pretoria Magistrates Court after being granted bail in the Chanelle Henning murder case. Photo: Chris Collingridge
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An Elandspoort man who allegedly supplied the gun used in the murder of assistant school teacher Chanelle Henning has been released on bail of R5 000.
Preshan Singh, 24, on Wednesday appeared before Pretoria magistrate Kiro Pillay, who ordered him to be back in court on January 17 next year.
The State, represented by Gerrie Nel, did not oppose bail.
Pillay said the court took into consideration the fact that the State did not oppose bail and that Singh was not a flight risk.
She said it would appear from the affidavit that Sigh was a “relatively stable person in terms of his employment record”.
“He was co-operative with the police and he led them to the firearm they were searching for. He has not provided any wrong information to the police,” said Pillay.
Singh faces charges of conspiracy to murder, murder and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He has previously appeared in court with four other suspects, Ambrose Monye, 37, former police officer André Gouws, 47, Willem Pieterse and suspended police officer Gerhardus du Plessis, 34.
The men were arrested in connection with the drive-by shooting of Henning on November 8.
Henning, who was estranged from her husband Nico, had just dropped her five-year-old son Benjamin at a crèche in Faerie Glen.
Singh stated in an affidavit, which was handed to court by his legal representative Kineil Muthray, that he received the gun from a Mr Schoeman in January this year. He intended keeping it for his personal protection and paid R400 for it.
He did not have a safe and asked one of his neighbours, Gerry Venter, to keep it for him.
Singh said a work colleague and friend Martin Pieterse (aka Willem Pieterse) asked to use firearm, “and because of the good relationship I share with him, I handed over the firearm to him during or about November 2011”.
“The firearm was handed back to me a few days later by Martin Pieterse. I, in turn, gave it to Gerry Venter to keep,” he said.
Singh said that on or about November 15, his residential premises was visited by about 10 armed men claiming to be members of the specialised Hawks Unit. “They requested if I was Preshan Singh (and) after confirming that I was… they instructed me to lay (sic) on the ground and thereafter began to severely beating me (and) kicking (me) all over my head and body,” said Singh.
He said he didn’t know the reason for their visit and while being assaulted, he was requested to hand over the gun “that they say was allegedly used in a murder that took place in Faerie Glen in Pretoria earlier that week”.
Singh said he took the officers to his neighbour’s house where they recovered the firearm which he had given to Pieterse. “Despite having no knowledge of the murder which these officers spoke of, I was thereafter arrested and detained on a charge of conspiracy to murder,” said Singh, adding that he was at work on the day and time the crime was committed. – Pretoria News
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Henning: ‘supplier’ of gun gets bail