Anni Hindocha [MURDERED]
Dewani trial media
It is always disturbing isn’t it, to watch the media poking its noses into matters that they are incompetent to get involved in, simply to jump on a passing band wagon and create some money making column inches?
A glaring example hit us today in a full broadsheet page article in Britain’s Sunday Times about Anni’s murder. The writer, an undoubtedly famed distinguished journalist , presents what on the surface would appear to be a serious considered piece from Cape Town about the Dewani Trial, but scratch the surface and it is a blatant attempt to exonerate Shrien Dewani already, only a few days into a major overseas court murder hearing, when little evidence has even been presented, let alone heard & considered. This is not the kind of justice that Anni Hindocha deserves is it? Why do the British media think it acceptable to print such rubbish and denigrate South Africa & its people into the bargain?
Why is a supposedly respected national newspaper jumping the gun and getting involved, we might legitimately ask? This case is about a British man and if it was being tried in the England, such reporting would NOT be allowed, would it? Is the paper trying to serve justice or what?
None of us know what really happened that dreadful night when a young woman’s life was taken. We know who took it (well three of them anyway). We know how it was taken. We don’t know yet fully why it was taken, and that is what we all wait to find out (behond reasonable doubt that is).
We also know that Dewani is a proven coward, and one who abandoned his wife to her fate (death). We also know that Dewani resolutely refused to return to the land where she was murdered to face her killers. We also know that Dewani successfully found ways for four years to avoid facing the murder accusations made against him. We also know that he was a closet homosexual and male prostitute user (previously vehemently denied but now admitted). We also know that his relationship with his wife was troubled (to say the least).
None of that makes him GUILTY, but it does mean that he has a case to answer and a need to demonstrate that he is INNOCENT – by showing that he is being framed, and satisfactorily refute, to the Court’s satisfaction, that the ‘contract killing’ indictment is utterly bogus.
[You can’t trust the media that set out to make their own justice work can you? Like, BBC’s Rough Justice in 2007 which adjudged a burglar innocent of a conviction of murder, yet he confessed to it ten years later, didn’t he?].
NEWS TRIAL DAY 2 & DAY 3
One of the convicted murders has been giving evidence about how the killing of Anni actually took place (and the two other killers are likely to follow). It is improbable though that there will be ANY real revelations during this stage of the trial, as the murder circumstances have been in the public domain for years – through the other earlier trials of course. We will have to wait for new & previously undisclosed State evidence later (or even Defence submissions) before we can really see where this is going, and how the evidence stacks-up, or doesn’t, against Dewani. It would be astonishing if the Court simply accepted the version of events offered by three plea-bargained convicts, without other compelling collaborative hard evidence, don’t you think? Has the State got it all together we wonder?
Inevitably, the Defence simply accused the killer witness of being a proven liar (which he is of course, and that accusation will be thrown at the others as well by the Defence when the time comes).
Shockingly, for a trial of this world media magnitude, the authorities have failed to provide adequate microphonic facilites in the Court, so the trial so far has been beset with adjournment issues over that, much to the annoyance of the eminent Lady Judge.
Dewani has been showing signs of strain (charged with murder why not?) and is now deemed ill with gastric problems (stomach pains) – in light of his past history of claimed debilitating illness in the last four years preventing this trial, it would not be surprising would it if his trial is now beset with a display from Dewani of medical issues causing delays or worse?
As it turns out the State witness has the same gastric problem (perhaps it is the Court food eh?), so there is again another adjournment until Monday!
IT IS GOING TO A LONG WHILE BEFORE THIS GETS ANYWHERE!
Monday OCTOBER 6th
Well this much wanted trial kicked-off this morning in Cape Town with the British millionaire husband Shrien Dewani facing five charges including murder.
What both the Hindocha family and the watching general public want is a fair and open trial, isn’t it?
The question that many still find a mystery is why Dewani refused, when undoubtedly he was mentally sound, to go back to South Africa, help the authorities, confront his wife’s killers, give evidence against them to secure their convictions, and confront their allegations that he was implicated.
There will be widespread anger & dismay if Dewani balks giving evidence in his own defence – and his previous behaviour doesn’t give us much confidence that he will does it?
It certainly started with an amazing revelation, an open admission by Dewani read by his Defence counsel Francois van Zyl that he was bisexual no less – the rumours that he had been in homosexual relationships (including with prostitutes) had previously been rigorously denied by his representatives and family. It was also disclosed that Anni found Shrien Dewani ‘controlling’ – a puzzling admission and clearly not a ‘casual’ disclosure, so we can expect that issue to become significant as the trial develops can’t we? He has furthermore admitted to his relationship with Anni being ‘volatile’ is that not a serious eye-opener when a young woman has been killed?
He has already made a claim at the outset that stress has affected his memory of events – so he is well place to plead amnesia about selected actions during his trial, don’t you think?
It seems strange though that the Defence had first shout here in presenting a statement BEFORE the prosecution have made their case (but these things are different in a SA court obviously).
With Dewani in the dock the State prosecution, headed by barrister Adrian Mopp, has began their case. Predictably Dewani is seen to soon break down in tears as details of Anni’s close range shooting injuries are disclosed. Notwithstanding this, he does not yet apparently present a figure of a totally broken man, devastated about his wife’s death, and beset with four years of mental incapacity..
[The trial is now adjourned for a day as the next prosecution witness is “not ready” – a disgrace that wouldn’t be allowed in Britain would it?].
[Prosecutor Adrian Mopp has already successfully conducted the proceedings against gunmen Xolile Mngeni, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and taxi driver Zola Tongo (all jailed) for their part in the murder of Anni Dewani, 28, in November 2010
Defence advocate Francois van Zyl has previously been involved in high-profile cases including that of a UK banker, charged with hiring a hit man to kill the father of a woman he pursued. He was one of the senior counsel who represented a German fraudster in a long running extradition battle; and he defended in another murder trial.].
THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED AS THE TRIAL PROGRESSES so download again for further opinions
A PREVIOUS POST September 28, 2014
In a week’s time, Monday 6th October 2014, the high profile trial begins under Judge Jeanette Traverso in the Western Cape High Court, of 34 yr old Shrien Dewani, a British man accused of arranging the murder in Cape Town of his new bride Anni Hindocha (aka Dewani).
It is a trial that has been a long time in gestation, and one that has been impatiently awaited for four years by a watching world’s audience. It is a trial about a killing that involves aspects of intrigue, abduction, lawyers, wickedness, riches, violence, relationships, police, subterfuge, mental capacity, law enforcement, sex, evil, shooting, international law, religion, extradition, courts, bereaved, homophobia, politicians, money, race, cowardice, nationality, kidnap, assault, guns, a fugitive, and of course cold blooded murder. A catalogue that might be thought to have caused such widespread interest of millions, but the truth is that most peoples’ primary focus is simply on a single matter – Justice.
The Hindu Dewani couple were abducted on a taxi ride, before the Swedish 28 year old young woman Anni Dewani was shot & murdered by three men on her honeymoon in South Africa. The now accused husband had left the country, within days of his wife’s killing, to return to the UK – before the murders were caught of course. He was subsequently accused of himself having arranged the killing.
Rich man, husband Shrien Dewani refused to voluntarily return, only a few weeks after his wife was killed, to the place where she was murdered (when apparently he was a well man) to help the SA authorities to understand how his new young wife had lost her life in a violent attack (he was totally unscathed himself); nor go back to answer the accusations made against him. He repeatedly legally thwarted extradition from the UK, citing medical ‘depression’. Against his will, he was finally returned to Cape Town and detention six months ago to face murder & kidnapping charges. He has been deemed to be medically fit to do so.
Until the trial takes place and evidence is presented, all we know is that the original accusations against Shrien Dewani are based on testimony from the other already convicted killers. Innocent or guilty, there seems to be ‘a case to answer’.
Irrespective of what the result of the trial proves to be, Dewani will forever be a despicable & widely despised man. He has already been ‘judged’ by the public, but not necessarily of the killing itself, but of his disgusting non-man behaviour.
No honourable man would have escaped with his life (let alone completely undamaged), in the circumstances of the murder, and without having put up a blood chilling fight, have left his wife alone, a vulnerable & unprotected lady, to sacrifice her life,. Not many of us are ready made heroes, but any man is expected to protect his wife and give his life if necessary to shield her from mortal danger, surely? Not value his own life above hers?
Not only did he run away, flee the scene as they say, and demonstrate a level of moral cowardice that the rest of us would have nightmares about showing, but he immediately fled the Country.
It appears then that he suddenly became ‘mentally incapacitated’ two months later in a further legal submission to the court to avoid extradition. He also, to the surprise of the British population, employed a well known expensive media publicist one Max Clifford to promote his cause – the fact that the well known & at the time respected Clifford got involved in promoting a murder suspect was a bit of a shock (until he was himself later convicted of child sex abuse and sent down for eight years!).
[If Shrien Dewani does get convicted, however flimsy the evidence, and goes to jail there won’t be any tears shed this side of the Equator, but if not he still won’t be on anyone decent’s Christmas list].
Western Cape is one of the biggest court divisions in the country.
Deputy Judge President Jeanette Traverso
The first woman to assume a leadership position within the South African judiciary: the second woman to be appointed to the Bench in SA: the first woman to be appointed Deputy Judge President: the first woman to be called to the Cape Bar Council: the first woman to be conferred with Senior Counsel status.
Previously, a prosecutor in the magistrate courts & a State Advocate for the Attorney General.
Anni Dewani murdered in a Cape Town township
ramblings007 