Update

GEORGE NEWS - Six of the seven men accused of attacking Maximilian Reimann (20) in Pacaltsdorp early Saturday morning, 27 August 2022, will make their next court appearance in the Knysna Regional Court on Monday 9 September when their trial will start.

The seventh accused, the 20-year-old Johnwill Tarentaal, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) in the George Regional Court on Thursday 29 August.

In his plea, Tarentaal admitted to an altercation with Reimann in front of a nightclub in Pacaltsdorp on the night of the attack. He said that Reimann accused him of stealing his cigarettes and they got into a fight where he was knocked unconscious.

He said he did not know for how long he was unconscious, but when he woke up he saw that there was a group of people fighting further down the road. He walked over and kicked Reimann who was involved in the fight. Tarentaal will be back in court on 29 October pending pre-sentencing reports.

The other six, Chaywin van Niekerk (18), Shannen-Lee Botha (18), Jody Botha (21), Sheldon Remas (19), Ethan Bevie (21) and Chadwill Kiewiet (19), appeared in the Thembalethu Regional Court on Monday 2 September, from where the case was transferred to Knysna.

All seven accused were denied bail in September 2022 and have been in custody since their arrest shortly after the incident.

Reimann was attacked by a group of men in Mission Street, Pacaltsdorp, in the early hours of the morning. A passer-by, Charlotte Edwards, found him lying next to the road later that morning.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’