Cape Town - A sixteenth suspect has been added to a number of underworld figures in the trial for the murder of Brian ‘Steroid King’ Wainstein.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson Katlego Mogale said Igur “The Russian” Russol briefly appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court this week and faces charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, gang-related charges and contravention of firearms Control Act.
Russol will appear alongside alleged underworld figures including Mark Lifman, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen and Andre Naude in the Western Cape High Court next month, as the murder trial gets underway.
Russol was released on R15 000 bail on Wednesday morning.
“This comes after the execution of a warrant for his arrest (on Tuesday morning) and he was indicted to appear in the Western Cape High Court August 5, 2022 along with Mark Lifman and 14 other accused who are already appearing in the High Court. It is reported that Wainstein was shot dead in front of his wife and child at their home in Constantia in 2017.
“Three accused have already been sentenced: a former security company co-owner Matthew Breet, from West Beach in Cape Town who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after entering into a plea agreement with the State, Cheslin Adams and Fabian Cupido, who drove the vehicle on the day of the murder were sentenced to 25 years respectively,” said Mogale.
During Cupido’s confessions to the court, it was detailed how on August 17, 2017 a day before Wainstein’s murder – he had met with his co-accused at Goodhope Tyres in Mitchells Plain where they planned the murder. According to Cupido, it was decided that Adams would pull the trigger while he (Cupido) would be the getaway driver.
Since arrests have been effected in the ongoing investigation, two co-accused in the investigation were killed.
“William ‘Red’ Stevens was shot dead in Kraaifontein on 2 February 2021 and Jason Maits was gunned down outside his house in Mitchells Plain on 5 March 2021. All other remaining accused are out on bail, with some as high as R100 000,” said Mogale.
Lifman, Booysen and Naude are each out on R100 000 bail under strict conditions.
The group, alleged to be affiliated to the 27’s gang, face a range of charges relating to, among other counts, murder, contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca), corruption, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder.
Cape Times