February 19 2011 at 09:15am
By Noni Mokati
AFP
Family members of Brian Patrick Roach leave the Wynberg Magistrate court in Alexander after Brian appeared on Terrorism charges. Picture: Paballo Thekiso
The Joburg businessman accused of plotting a bio-terror war against Britain will remain behind bars - at his own request.
Yesterday, lawyers for Brian Roach, 63, who a hefty sentence if convicted on charges of attempted extortion, money laundering and illegal possession of an AK-47 and ammunition, told the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court that the retired Hartbeespoort engineer accepted the factual evidence presented by the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority.
His attorneys, Rod Montano and Cliff Alexander, duly informed magistrate Renier Boshoff that they were abandoning Roach’s bail application.
Roach was arrested by a heavily armed police task team last Saturday at his house at the upmarket K’Shane Estate on the dam.
The gaunt grandfather said he had been overwhelmed by the turn of events. “It feels like a tornado has just hit me. I’m really upset,” he said and added: “I hope you don’t write bull**** about me in order to sell papers.”
Outside court, Montano and Alexander said Roach wasn’t racist nor a terrorist, but a freedom fighter.
“He is apolitical. He was just trying to right the wrong that had been done. In fact, he is a hero as any terrorist today is a freedom fighter,” Alexander said.
He said that despite the letters and the e-mails, Roach never had the capacity to carry out his threats, but had intended only to ensure the provisions of the 1979 Lancaster House agreement to protect the rights of white farmers in a future Zimbabwe were actually adhered to.
Officers from Britain’s Scotland Yard and America’s FBI were in court yesterday.
It is believed that if SA authorities do not successfully prosecute Roach, both agencies will.
In letters and e-mails, Roach allegedly threatened to unleash a foot-and-mouth disease-contaminated product to infect British cattle herds. To prevent this, he demanded a ransom of $4 million (R28,5m), which would go towards alleviating the plight of white farmers in Zimbabwe.
The ransom was to be paid in packaged Kruger rands, without tracking devices in them. They were to be placed in a storage garage and the keys left in a restaurant toilet.
Saturday Argus
Comments by Sonny
Brian Roach is less of a terrorist than the son of Margaret Thatcher!
We must not let the ANC and ZANU PF score political points out of this saga.
Lord Carrinton and the British government traitored the Rhodesian People!
We will not forget what happened in Rhodesia!!
We are humbly of the opinion that Brian Roach's 'co-conspirator' blew the whistle on
him here!
NATO Secretary General
Lord Carrington
1984 - 1988
Born in 1919
Lord Carrington was educated in the United Kingdom at Eton and the Royal Military College of Sandhurst. In 1946 he began to take an active part in the work of Parliament, and in 1951 became a Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1954 he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence.
In 1956 Lord Carrington was appointed United Kingdom High Commissioner in Australia. In 1959 he returned to the United Kingdom, where he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and a Privy Counsellor, and in 1962 became Assistant Deputy Leader of the House of Lords. In the 1970 Conservative Government he was appointed Secretary of State for Defence, and subsequently Secretary of State for Energy. Between 1972 and 1974 he was Chairman of the Conservative Party. In May 1979 Lord Carrington was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and was Chairman of the Lancaster House Conference, which led to the solution of the Rhodesian problem and the creation of the independent Republic of Zimbabwe in 1981. He resigned in 1982 at the time of the Falklands crisis. In 1983 he became Chairman of the General Electric Company, a post which he held until his appointment to NATO in June 1984. In July 1988 Lord Carrington was succeeded as Secretary General of NATO by Manfred Wörner.
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