Cape Town - A former police officer accused of killing a constable and two patients at Somerset Hospital has been referred for psychiatric evaluation for a month.
Jean-Paul Malgas was arrested on May 7, minutes after he grabbed constable Donay Phillips’ gun and shot the officer in the head before firing at patients Geret Carolus, 48, who had gangrene from diabetes and was due to have an operation, and Liami Frankshwa Eckelton, a street person.
Malgas had just been discharged from the hospital, but was returned to the psychiatric ward hours later.
He reportedly broke a light when he was confronted; Phillips approached him and Malgas was able to disarm and shoot the constable before turning the gun on Eckelton and Carolus.
Two days before the murders, Malgas had reported a child missing. The case was attended to by Hopefield police station officers who found a knife on Malgas and asked for it. Malgas refused and attacked a Sergeant Christiaan Jacobus.
He was then admitted to hospital for a gunshot wound after the attack.
The former officer from Vredenburg had been fired from the SAPS for corruption and fraud.
He was charged with the attempted murder of Jacobus and two attempted robbery charges of a service pistol, as well as three murder counts for his New Somerset victims and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The defence said Malgas suffered from depression and was suicidal.
He appeared in the Western Cape High Court where he heard he would be checked into Valkenberg for psychiatric evaluation.
Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, said before the proceedings that he would be in court for his legal team to file the motion for the evaluation.
“JP Malgas is returning to court this morning for his legal representatives to apply for Section 77, Section 68 and Section 79 of the Criminal Procedure Act for the accused to be referred to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital.”