Bipolar sufferer ‘a threat to society’

INDEPENDENT MEDIA
Harland Moses in court
Picture: Mervyn Naidoo

Durban – An awaiting trial prisoner at Westville Prison with a “healing” touch, claimed in court that when he prayed for the release of other inmates, their freedom became a reality.

But, for nine months, bipolar disorder sufferer Harland Crighton Moses’s own prayers for bail have not been answered. On Friday, the father of two was denied bail when he made his application before magistrate Anand Maharaj at the Durban Regional Court.

According to the psychiatrist who has treated him for many years, when medicated, the “highly intelligent” Moses, 44, is known to be a “wonderful man”, but when not, his intelligence raised Moses’s potential for danger significantly.

Moses pleaded not guilty to the eight, mostly minor, charges he faced. The offences were allegedly committed between July and August last year They included intimidation, assault, housebreaking with intent to commit arson, the theft of suitcases containing ladies’ sleepwear and lingerie and an attempted murder charge.

The attempted murder charge was what eventually put him behind bars.

Moses got into a heated argument with policemen at the Sydenham police station over his use of a parking bay designated for disabled motorists. In his enraged state, Moses is alleged to have deliberately accelerated his BMW, in spite of policemen standing near the vehicle. The car rammed into the station’s commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Enver Salie, who was dragged about 100m.

Moses fled the scene.

It is believed Moses, who is also known to be a “kind-hearted man”, had gone to the station to volunteer his car for police use. Instead, his act of kindness evolved into a hit-and-run incident.

During his bail application Moses, who opted to represent himself, led three character witnesses in support of his claim that he was a “peaceful man” and a practising Christian.

Two of his church members confirmed the assertion.

His wife, Merle, who was Moses’s third witness, said he was pleasant enough provided he took the medication prescribed for his bipolar condition.

But when he stopped taking his medication he had violent tendencies, she said.

During previous altercations she alleged that Moses had throttled and assaulted her.

They were living apart at the time of his arrest in August.

Doctor Suntheren (Sandy) Pillay, a specialist psychiatrist based at St Joseph’s Hospital in Durban, who had been treating Moses for 14 years, previously submitted a profile of his patient to the police.

It said:

* Moses suffered from a bipolar mood disorder.

* Moses was a maniac with grandiose delusions.

* Moses was a danger to the public.

* Moses had made threats to kill, hurt and harm.

During his testimony the doctor said when Moses failed to take his medication regularly, he exhibited homicidal tendencies.

Pillay said Moses had previously damaged hospital property and made threats to hospital staff and security.

“During a consultation in 2002, he threatened me with a knife. He followed my receptionist home on another occasion.”

Pillay said Moses had been getting “progressively worse” over the years.

“His potential for danger is higher because Moses is a very intelligent man and is therefore able to execute his plans,” the doctor told the court.

Moses disputed Pillay’s assessment and, at times, his rebuttal drew choruses of laughter from the gallery.

“You are talking absolute rubbish. My wife hates this guy, I’m not his patient. I’m disgusted with him,” said Moses in response to a statement made by Pillay.

Regarding his having violent tendencies, Moses said: “In my 44 years there’s not a single person in the world who could say Harland Moses hit or stabbed them.”

Moses claimed Pillay had a grudge against him and because he worked for the hospital had an obligation to side with them: “Never mind his Hippocratic oath.”

On the allegation of stealing bags containing woman’s underwear, Moses’s retort was: “I own a car worth R330 000, but I go to a house to steal two bags of ladies’ clothes?”

He firmly believes that the bulk of the charges against him are “trumped up” but he regretted the incident at the Sydenham police station.

“There’s not a day that I don’t think about it. I went there to donate my vehicle but I get accused of trying to kill someone, I don’t agree with that allegation,” he said.

Moses said he had been driving at about 10km/h when he “bumped” the officer and drove off because he felt threatened by all the policemen with guns around him.

Moses pleaded with Maharaj to grant him bail and promised to continue taking his medication.

State prosecutor Kuveshni Pillay opposed bail and said Moses, in choosing to drive off, had shown no remorse for hitting the station commander.

“It showed his propensity for violence,” Pillay said.

In handing down his judgment, Maharaj said the safety of the public was one of the main issues he had considered and he went with the doctor’s opinion that Moses “posed a threat to society”.

mervyn.naidoo@inl.co.za

Sunday Tribune

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