Three suspects allegedly involved in the disappearance of Joslin Smith have all entered not guilty pleas against the charges filed against them.
Little Joslin went missing from her home in the Middelpos Informal Settlement, Saldanha Bay, last February. Her mother, Kelly Smith, along with her boyfriend, Jacquin Apollis, and their friend, Steveno Van Rhyn, appeared in court today where Judge Nathan Erasmus is overseeing the case.
The trio is currently standing trial for charges of kidnapping and human trafficking. The proceedings are taking place at the White City Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay, where approximately 200 community members were allowed to attend proceedings.
The High Court trial commenced with the state calling its first witness, Constable Yanga Gongotha, a police officer with seven years of service. Gongotha testified that on the day of the child’s disappearance Kelly Smith, accused number 3 and Joslin’s mother, appeared more concerned about her boyfriend Jacquin Apollis’ whereabouts than her missing daughter, as conveyed through an interpreter.
“Sy het nie bekommerd voorgekom as ‘n persoon wat ‘n kind vermis het nie, u edelagbare. She didn’t appear as someone who is worried about the vanishing of the child. The most important thing for her was for us to get hold of the person who was looking after the child. The boyfriend. Not the child,” Gongotha recounted.
More witnesses are scheduled to take the stand in the coming weeks. The trial will run until 28 March 2025.
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