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Former Bryanston school coach applies for dismissal of sexual assault charge

A former Bryanston High School coach will make representations to the national director of public prosecutions in a bid to get his sexual assault case thrown out. Stock image.
A former Bryanston High School coach will make representations to the national director of public prosecutions in a bid to get his sexual assault case thrown out. Stock image.
Image: paylessimages / 123RF

A former Bryanston High School sports coach accused of sexual assault has turned to the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) in a bid to have his case thrown out of court.

The 33-year-old was dismissed from the school in March after a disciplinary hearing in which he was found guilty of sexually harassing three pupils, and of financial mismanagement.

The matter was previously postponed to allow him to make representations to the director of public prosecutions (DPP). This was after his representations to the senior public prosecutor were unsuccessful.

The Wynberg magistrate’s court heard on Tuesday that his representations to the DPP had failed.

“The matter has been escalated to the NDPP, who will hopefully uphold the previous decisions made thus far,” said Luke Lamprecht from  Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA).

The former coach is going the same route as Adam Catzavelos, who caused an uproar using the K-word in a video, who also made representations to have his case thrown out of court.

Catzavelos learnt on Tuesday that his representations to the NDPP were unsuccessful and his case was postponed to December 5.

WMACA said it was pleased the case against the coach had moved a step closer to trial proceedings.

“It's good to see that all the judicial recourse available to the accused to ward off a trial have been unsuccessful, which speaks to the strength of the potential case.

“We continue to support the victim and have to applaud her bravery despite the long legal process, which can be infuriating. We trust that this last hurdle will be dealt with swiftly, so that the trial can proceed,” said Lamprecht.