National
McBride due back in court over alleged assault─── 05:43 Tue, 24 Oct 2017
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride is due to make his third appearance at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting his teenage daughter two months ago.
He has been charged with child abuse with an alternative charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
At his previous appearance in August, McBride was granted R10 000 bail and the case was postponed for the State to further investigate the matter. McBride's bail conditions forbid him from making contact with witnesses or contacting them through a third party.
His defence lawyer, Jaco Hamman, attempted to bring an application asking the court to make a final postponement citing regular delays, while State prosecutor Tefo Mokgoatsane argued that the delays were due to outstanding video footage. The court dismissed McBride's application.
In a statement released after the alleged assault, McBride claimed that the case was opened by a woman who had asked him unsuccessfully to squash a traffic fine. He alleged that the assault claims were a "red herring" and part of a smear campaign against him by those he was investigating.
He explained that he had become concerned about his daughter's school marks and "somewhat rebellious" behaviour, and had admonished her, but never assaulted her.
News24
