A group of bandiete from Hanover Park, who sat through a landmark Western Cape High Court trial at Pollsmoor Prison, have been found guilty of an array of crimes.
The Laughing Boys gang are crying in their cups after they were handed their two-day judgement by Judge Radiyah Wathen-Falken this week.
Mykyle Davids, along with Tyrone Davids, Mikyle Abdullah, Shameeg Matheson, Moenzier January, Malieka Meyer and Moegamat Kamish faced over 20 charges which include murder for a spate of gang shootings in Hanover Park between 2017 and 2019.
The group were busted by Sergeant Camillah Jones of the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit, and successfully prosecuted by advocate Alfred Isaacs along with another prosecutor, who did not want to be named.
Mykyle objected after Judge Yahya Hlophe ordered that following the pre-trials, the actual trial would also be held at the Pollsmoor Court, citing safety concerns.
In his objection, raised by his defence advocate Bashier Sibda, Mykyle contended that he would not be given a fair trial as Pollsmoor Prison “has a bad reputation, has worldwide notoriety, and the stigma attached to this prison will rub over onto the court hearing.”
The State prosecutor argued the courtrooms at the high court were too small to accommodate the large group of accused and the one suitable courtroom was already occupied for the trial of the Terrible Josters gang.
Mykyle lost the appeal and the trial commenced in the cage-like courtroom at Pollsmoor last year.
In her judgement, Judge Wathen-Falken found Mykyle guilty of the murder of Moegamat Riyaaz Hendricks, who was shot in Hanall Walk in August 2017.
He was further convicted on six other charges relating to the case, but acquitted of the firearm charges as the police chain of evidence was not intact.
Mykyle along with Tyrone, Abdullah and Meyer were acquitted of the murder of Gertrude Jantjies, who was shot in April 2019.
Judge Wathen-Falken found that while the witness’ testimony was honest, she had been smoking mandrax and her evidence could not be accepted.
On the second day of the judgement, Judge Wathen-Falken found Mykyle along with Tyrone and Matheson guilty of triple murder.
This was for the robbery and murder of Bradwin Duminy, who was robbed by the trio and then shot and killed on April 12, 2019.
On the same day, the trio also assaulted Sidney Moloi and shot him, and later shot and killed a woman named Roeshana Kader.
The group will be sentenced on Friday.