Court to decide on bail for mother accused of abducting 9-day-old baby

The woman accused of kidnapping 9-day-old Mogamat Imaad Sharmar is expected to hear whether she will be granted bail on Monday.

The matter is set down in the Bellville Magistrate's Court.

Sameemah Jacobs, 37, from Tafelsig, who is a mother of three, self-employed and a property owner, has been in police custody since June 30 following her arrest.

On July 17, Jacobs revealed she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder via her affidavit.

She is charged with kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.

During her bail application, Sergeant Dawid Fortuin presented cellphone records from confiscated phones, including one with dual SIMs. 

Records showed three identities — Sameemah, Wasiema, and Chevon Classen — using different phone numbers and IMEI numbers, indicating Jacobs used these personas.

Fortuin stated Jacobs's phone was in Mitchell's Plain District Hospital's vicinity on June 18 and 19, where baby Imaad was born. 

Records also placed Jacobs in Strandfontein on June 28, the kidnapping date, and Chevon at Middestad Mall in Bellville. 

Queries about "Chevon," who claimed to work for NPO Zoey Project, revealed no staff member by that name.

Jacobs's lawyer, Asongewa Mafuya, revealed she was diagnosed with bipolar in 2023 and has three children, one aged seven years.

He argued she wasn't a flight risk and wouldn't interfere with the case, noting her children were with a friend and her mother was hospitalised.

State prosecutor, Salaahuddeen Simon, opposed bail, citing public trust, flight risk, and potential evidence destruction.

The State aims to prove that Jacobs kidnapped Imaad, posing as a Zoey Project sponsor, having befriended his mother earlier. 

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus