No bail bid by fourth Farmer rape, murder suspect
Cape Town. 150921. Elmario Maasdorp is of the men who apparently raped and murdered Valencia Farmer 16 years ago. He is soon to stand trial. At court was the mother of Valencia, Sylvia Farmer. Reporter Fran. Pic COURTNEY AFRICA Cape Town. 150921. Elmario Maasdorp is of the men who apparently raped and murdered Valencia Farmer 16 years ago. He is soon to stand trial. At court was the mother of Valencia, Sylvia Farmer. Reporter Fran. Pic COURTNEY AFRICA
Francesca Villette
A FOURTH suspect in the brutal 1999 Valencia Farmer rape and murder case, Elmario Maasdorp, did not apply for bail when he appeared again before magistrate Gerald Hattingh in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
This was after a new police specialised investigations unit, established in Blue Downs to deal with the scourge of gangsterism in the area, received a tip-off that led to his arrest on September 12.
In 1999, Farmer, 14, who lived in Eerste River, was gang-raped by at least six people and stabbed 53 times. Her throat was also slit.
Farmer crawled to a street where she was found by her neighbours. She was taken to hospital where she was able to name her attackers to police before she died a day later.
In 2001, three men were sentenced for the attack. Franklyn Roberts, 19, and co-accused Glenville Faro, 20, were each sentenced to two life terms. A third co-accused, Russel van Wyk, was sentenced to 18 years for murder and 15 years for rape. He was a juvenile at the time of the attack.
Maasdorp was also arrested at the time, but charges were dropped because of a lack of evidence.
Standing in court yesterday with his hands behind his back and his eyes glued on Hattingh, Maasdorp said he would not apply for bail. Maasdorp previously chose to represent himself, but yesterday requested legal aid.
The case was postponed until next month for further investigation and would be transferred to the Western Cape High Court, prosecutor Louis van Niekerk said.
Eddie Clark, the investigating officer and commander at the new unit, said a community member had come forward with new information that led to Maasdorp’s arrest.
“Gangsterism has grown in this area and there was definitely a need for the gang unit. Provincial deputy commissioner Major-General Jeremy Vearey has led the fight for a long time,” Clark said. “The community trusts the unit and therefore they came to us with enough information that warranted an arrest.”
Farmer’s mother, Sylvia Farmer, spoke outside court yesterday and said it appeared to her that Maasdorp had shown no remorse.
francesca.villette@inl.co.za
@FrancescaJaneV