High Court denies bail to murder suspect who tried to mislead by changing name

A suspected robber and murderer’s attempt to trick the High Court into granting him bail by changing his name backfired after a judge dismissed his application, ruling that it was a repeat of a previously rejected bid.

Justin Mpofu (39), who was arrested on January 11, 2025, has been in custody for 10 months, facing charges of murder and robbery.

Upon his arrest, he appeared before the Bulawayo Magistrates Court as Justin Mpofu, where he was denied bail and remanded in custody.

In a surprising twist, he recently approached the High Court seeking release on bail, this time calling himself as Ryan Ncube.

He pledged to deposit US$250 with the Clerk of the Criminal Court at Bulawayo Magistrates Court as part of his bid for freedom.

However, State prosecutors opposed the application, arguing that the accused was attempting to mislead the court by pretending the matter was a fresh application when, in fact, bail had already been refused earlier in the year.

High Court Judge Justice Ngoni Nduna noted that the accused had previously appeared before the court under CRB number HCBCR 285/25 on February 17, 2025, when bail was refused on the basis that he was not a suitable candidate for release.

“What is clear is that the accused is being arraigned as Justin Mpofu. He now elects to be called Ryan Ncube,” said Justice Nduna.

“The question is not whether the accused is Mpofu or Ncube, it is whether he has appeared before this court seeking bail previously. If the answer is yes, then this application is premised on the wrong provision of the law.

“It is an abuse of court process to simply reshuffle or repackage old facts and present them as new.

“Whatever names the accused may use, the underlying factor remains that he must disclose that it is not an initial application.”

Having failed to show any new facts or changed circumstances, the court dismissed the application, describing it as a misguided attempt to exploit the justice system through deception.

The accused remains in custody awaiting trial on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Herald