JUST IN: Jayden-Lee Meek's mother denied bail

The Citizen

7 days ago

The court proceedings were briefly interrupted by a power outage on Tuesday.
Tiffany Nicole Meek appears at Roodepoort Magistrate's Court in the murder case of her son Jayden-Lee Meek on 23 July 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
Tiffany Nicole Meek, the mother of slain 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek, has been denied bail and will remain in custody.
The ruling was handed down by the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, following two weeks of arguments presented by both the state and defence.
Meek faces charges of murder, crimen injuria, defeating the ends of justice, and attempting to obstruct justice in relation to the death of her son.
Jayden-Lee's body was discovered on 14 May on the staircase of his home in the Swazi's Place complex in Fleurhof, Johannesburg.
He had been reported missing the day before.
Jayden-Lee Meek murder: Mother denied bail
During Tuesday's proceedings, the magistrate went through the evidence presented by both parties.
She noted that Meek, who earns a monthly salary of R17 000, requested that her bail be set at R5 000.
The court also considered the alternative address submitted by Meek – her father's residence in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal.
The defence argued there were inconsistencies in the state's case, particularly in relation to the identification of Jayden-Lee's school uniform on the day he disappeared, and the absence of a murder weapon.
ALSO READ: State argues Jayden-Lee Meek's mother rode public sympathy until the horse bucked
The presiding officer remarked: '[The defence submitted] no eyewitness can confirm that Jayden was in the company of the applicant after being dropped off or that she was the last person being seen with him alive,' she said.
The magistrate highlighted the state's position that there is prima facie evidence linking Meek to her son's death.
'The state argues that the applicant has done so by going to an elaborate scheme to evade justice.'
The court proceedings were briefly interrupted by a power outage, after which the magistrate resumed delivering her judgment.
WATCH: Fleurhof community members outside the Roodepoort Magistrate Court ahead of Tiffany Meek's appearance.
Meek is accused of murdering her 11-year-old Jayden-Lee and attempting to defeat the course of justice. #JaydenLeeMeek #TheCitizenNews
📹 :Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen pic.twitter.com/7qqVeRmsy2 — The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) July 29, 2025
'Why was the alarm bells not sounded sooner?'
The presiding officer highlighted the prosecution's assertion that Meek had deliberately omitted a critical detail in her police statement – that she returned to Swazi's Place at around 4am on the morning of 14 May.
'The state argued that because the applicant was not aware of what evidence the investigating officer was going to tender did she not prepare and was blindsided by the detail of the recording of the happening by the night security on duty,' the magistrate continued.
'The state argues the applicant intentionally omitted the time she returned to the flat that morning because she did not want to play on the mind of the court that she returned to flat placed the body of the child outside in his underwear because that was her trying to create a distance between her presence and the discovery of the body.'
Even if Meek's timeline is accepted, the magistrate noted the state's argument that it does not change the fact that Jayden-Lee's body was found after she had already left the complex.
READ MORE: Jayden-Lee Meek murder case: Missing pages and immigration status take centre stage
The magistrate questioned why Jayden-Lee was not reported missing immediately after he was allegedly not dropped off at the complex, as claimed by the mother.
'It begs the question why if Jayden-Lee was dropped off by the school transport around three o'clock why was the alarm bells not sounded sooner.'
The presiding officer subsequently denied Meek bail as 'it is difficult to trust the information presented' by the mother.
'It is difficult to trust the information presented. The applicant has shown that she has the ability to defeat or obstruct the administration of justice by causing other persons to be suspected and attempting or obstruct the cause of justice by placing Jayden's body outside her unit or stairs to create the conclusion that the child was harmed elsewhere.