HOUSE ARREST ON CARDS FOR ACCUSED BABY SNATCHER

'She was desperate, and there's no guarantee she won't do it again'

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE

THE woman accused of kidnapping 9-day-old baby Mogamat Imaad Sharmar is not a flight risk and should be granted bail with house arrest and weekly reporting to police.

This was the argument of kidnap-accused Sameemah Jacobs's Legal Aid lawyer, Asangezwa Mafuya, as the 37-year-old appeared in the Bellville Magistrate's Court yesterday for the continuation of her bail application.

Jacobs faces charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice following her arrest just two days after the disappearance of baby Imaad.

The baby was allegedly taken from his mother, Imaan Sharmar (also known as Britney Brandt), on June 28 at Middestad Mall in Bellville.

During the bail application yesterday, Magistrate G Ndaleni raised the issue of whether keeping Jacobs in custody might infringe on the rights of her own child, referencing Section 28 of the Constitution, which protects the best interests of children.

"She is a first-time offender. Has it been proven that the accused would endanger the public?" the magistrate asked.