A Cape Town attorney was assaulted by a suspect at the Wynberg magistrate’s court on Thursday, May 20.
TimesLIVE reported that the suspect was not happy following the magistrate’s decision to remand him which resulted in him lashing out at an attorney with no connection to his case.
Mari Rencken, 47, was assaulted while waiting for her own client’s matter to be heard.
Rencken was reportedly sitting next to the accused box because she needed to say something to the prosecutor.
She said, the man walked out of the accused box after hearing the magistrate’s decision and, without any hesitation or warning, slapped her.
“He came with an open hand and he slapped me. I was sitting on a chair with my back against the wall. When he slapped me I hit my head against the wall and then I fell off my chair,” Rencken said.
She said she was taken to a clinic following the incident.
The incident left the attorney who has been practicing for more than 20 years shocked.
“I am hesitant to go back to court but on the other hand I know that that is my bread and butter, that is my job, that’s what I have been doing for 21 years so in the end I won’t have any choice.
“It’s definitely going to have an influence on how I am going to feel when I go into court in the future,” she said.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain FC Van Wyk, confirmed that a case of common assault was registered and is being investigated by the Wynberg SAPS.
More: TimesLIVE