Bester takes bid to access laptop, challenge alleged poor imprisonment conditions to ConCourt
Bester has approached the apex court for leave to appeal a judgment by the Free State High Court.
Thabo Bester appeared in the Bloemfontein High Court on 5 June 2024. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Convicted killer and rapist Thabo Bester has taken his bid to have access to a laptop and to challenge the alleged poor conditions of his imprisonment to the Constitutional Court.
Bester has approached the apex court for leave to appeal a judgment by the Free State High Court.
This legal tussle is parallel to his main escape matter, where he is accused of fleeing the Mangaung Prison in May 2022.
In 2024, Bester brought a plea before the Free State High Court, detailing that he is kept in solitary confinement at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison and is not afforded the privacy necessary for him to prepare his case.
He said he was also only given limited time to consult with his lawyers and that he needed a laptop to work on the matter.
The Free State High Court dismissed this application, ruling that it should be heard before a civil and not a criminal court.
He's now escalated his bid to the apex court, seeking leave to appeal this High Court judgment.
In his papers, his lawyers detail that this plea is being taken to the Constitutional Court because it deals with his constitutional rights, these being the right to a fair trial and the right to adequately prepare his defence.