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Crucial evidence missing in King of Bling trial

CRUCIAL evidence that allegedly linked William "King of Bling" Mbatha to the robbery of an Alberton family has gone missing from police custody

Isamael Omar told the Johannesburg High Court yesterday that the robbers were caught on CCTV cameras mounted at his house.

And when police officers came to his house after the robbery, he played the video for them.

"The CCTV footage was taken by the police about two weeks after the incident because I could not download it. I gave the IO (investigating officer) the whole unit. He took down the serial numbers of the hard drive and sealed it," he said.

Omar said however, when the hard drive was brought back from the forensic unit, there was something amiss.

"I immediately phoned the IO and asked him for serial numbers and that's when the discrepancy came in. The numbers (the IO had and the ones on the hard drive that was brought back) were not the same," he said.

On April 9 2009 Omar was ambushed by armed men who posed as police.

He was taken to his home in Meyersdal in Alberton where he was robbed of about R200,000 in cash, two laptops, two guns and jewellery.

Mbatha is on trial for a series of armed robberies in which he is alleged to have passed himself off as a cop before robbing his victims.

Mbatha's lawyer Francois Roets put it to Omar that Mbatha would tell the court that he did not take part in his robbery.

Omar replied: "He is wrong. He's lying. I'll not accuse an innocent person and say he robbed me".

The trial continues.

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