A 45-year-old delivery clerk from Clare Valley has been remanded in custody following a violent multi-charge attack that left one victim fighting for life in intensive care, court documents confirm.
Keswert Slater, who is a cousin of the acting director of the Agency for Public Information Nadia Slater, appeared before Chief Magistrate Colin John at the Serious Offences Court on Thursday to answer to four separate criminal charges connected to the May 5 incident in his hometown.
The charges against Slater include attempted murder of Jean Slater, a fellow Clare Valley resident, inflicting grievous bodily harm on Nadia Slater, and trespassing on Nadia Slater’s residential property with the explicit intent to cause serious physical harm. All charges are indictable, so no plea was requested from the defendant during this initial court appearance.
Prosecuting the case is Inspector of Police Renrick Cato, who formally objected to granting Slater bail ahead of trial. Cato informed the court that one of the victims remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, underscoring the severity of the incident. When Chief Magistrate John asked Slater whether he understood the implications of the prosecution’s bail objection, Slater confirmed he understood and stated that he did not object to being held in prison ahead of his trial.
Slater, who is currently unrepresented by legal counsel, was ultimately denied bail by the magistrate. The case has been adjourned until Monday, when a formal bail review hearing will be held. This is not the first time Slater has attracted public attention: in 2000, he made local headlines after being linked to the theft of 63,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars from C.K. Greaves & Co Ltd, a local business.