A SENIOR Eastern Cape public prosecutor was attacked and nearly stabbed by an accused during a court appearance on Thursday. The incident which saw a magistrate, court interpreter, defence lawyer and a stenographer take cover under the tables occurred inside the chambers of the Willowvale magistrate’s court where arson accused Mbuyiselo Paulos was appearing. They used the room which is the size of an office boardroom since courtroom B was in use. Speaking about the incident yesterday, prosecutor Ndileka Nombewu said she had just finished postponing Paulos’s matter when he reached under his chair for a plastic bag containing a mug and hit her on the head with it. “I bled profusely on the spot. The court orderly got up and restrained the accused, but when the accused drew a knife the orderly then freed the suspect and fled, closing the doors of the chambers behind him,” Nombewu said. She said Paulos was then free to move around and attempted to stab her numerous times. “I took off my gown and tried blocking the knife with it. All my colleagues, including the presiding magistrate who was reporting for the first time at work and the accused’s lawyer, were screaming underneath...
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