News / International
Honey moon accused Dewani wanted out of marriage: report
03 May 2011 at 13:30hrs | Views
Honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani needed to find a way out of his marriage without getting disowned, a British court heard on Tuesday, according to a UK news report.
The Telegraph website quoted lawyer Hugo Keith, who was representing SA authorities at his extradition hearing, as saying:
"Dewani told (a witness) in April 2010 how he was engaged and had to get married.
"He said although she was a nice, lovely girl who he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family. He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it."
The unnamed witness was prepared to testify against Dewani, the court heard.
The 31-year-old Dewani stands accused of plotting to kill his Swedish bride, Anni, 28, by arranging a fake hijacking in Cape Town's township of Gugulethu. She was shot dead in November last year.
Dewani's extradition hearing started in the Belmarsh Magistrate's Court in south east London on Tuesday.
The Telegraph said the court was packed with members of his and Anni's families, while Dewani sat slumped in the dock.
He was being held on bail at a psychiatric facility in the UK, after reportedly suffering from severe post traumatic stress.
The charges against him included kidnapping, robbery with aggravated circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder and obstructing the administration of justice.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo, who had driven the newly-wed couple to dinner on the night of the murder, is already serving an 18-year jail term after he made a plea deal with the State, in which he testified that he had helped Dewani find people to kill his wife for R15,000. -
Sapa
The Telegraph website quoted lawyer Hugo Keith, who was representing SA authorities at his extradition hearing, as saying:
"Dewani told (a witness) in April 2010 how he was engaged and had to get married.
"He said although she was a nice, lovely girl who he liked, he could not break out of the engagement because he would be disowned by his family. He went on to say to the witness he needed to find a way out of it."
The unnamed witness was prepared to testify against Dewani, the court heard.
The 31-year-old Dewani stands accused of plotting to kill his Swedish bride, Anni, 28, by arranging a fake hijacking in Cape Town's township of Gugulethu. She was shot dead in November last year.
The Telegraph said the court was packed with members of his and Anni's families, while Dewani sat slumped in the dock.
He was being held on bail at a psychiatric facility in the UK, after reportedly suffering from severe post traumatic stress.
The charges against him included kidnapping, robbery with aggravated circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder and obstructing the administration of justice.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo, who had driven the newly-wed couple to dinner on the night of the murder, is already serving an 18-year jail term after he made a plea deal with the State, in which he testified that he had helped Dewani find people to kill his wife for R15,000. -
Sapa
Source - Sapa
