The Appellant had been convicted of unlawful possession of abalone without a valid permit, in contravention of regulations issued under the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998. He appealed against his conviction.
The first police officer to testify stated that information received by him led him and a colleague to proceed to the premises on which they found the Appellant. Both officers testified that the gate was locked, but that the Appellant had unlocked it, and upon realizing that they were police officials, had stated that there was abalone on the premises, and that he would accept full responsibility. The officers stated that they had found vast quantities of abalone on the premises. At the trial, the Appellant argued that he had not made the statements attributed to him by the police officers, and denied any knowledge of the abalone. (Provided by: UNODC SHERLOC)