South Africa - Martin, 55, Theresa, 54, Rudi van Breda, 22, murdered, 26 Jan 2015 #1

[Estelle]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 1m1 minute ago

#vanbreda witness states both children woke up that night. Eldest boy sat in my bed, straight upright with big eyes,I felt that was strange.

#vanbreda Combrink sits down, ending his cross-examination. Judge asks witness about her children who woke up that night of murders.

#vanbreda O says she would have reported it if there was someone screaming "help me!". But she didn't hear that.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Next witness is Janine Philander.

107 emergency number.

112 from a cellphone.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

On 27 January 2015, she was on morning duty.

I received a call form a caller identifying himself as Henri. He phoned in for an ambulance. When he phoned in he was hesitant. I heard a slight- what sounded to me as - a giggle.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

At first my initial thought was it sounded like a prank.

Adults do prank the line.

I asked his name and contact details. He was quite calm and cooperative, gave me his details. We struggled a bit with the address.

Our system picked up Milnerton.

We struggled with that, and also to check if he was pranking the line, asked for landmarks and surrounding streets to check he was calling where he was calling from.

How did you think it was a prank? The way he sounded, Philander says. A normal reaction to home invasion or assault, person usually frantic, shouting, screaming, can't recall contact numbers, confused.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

Persistent in getting the person out here now; get the ambulance out here now. I waited for that to come through, but it didn't.

Call lasted longer than any of my calls for home invasion or assault. Between 20 and 30 minutes.

I informed him I would phone police as they can trace where he is. Usually if a prank, person puts down. He didn't.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

I called the police, and he stayed on the line. He was helpful in giving alternative street names - he didn't get angry, wasn't pressuring, or getting agitated with me. He was just cool and calm, that was the weirdest ever for me.

[HvB will say that he has to stay cool, calm and collected in order not to stutter]

He offered to wait in a different street to where he stayed. That is somehting out of the norm for me. People would usually say I am not going to where you are telling me to go.

Normally (someone in that situation) drops the call/ not hold/ try to get through to another call centre/ ask someone to help.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[Estelle]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 2m

#vanbreda That ends state witness http://testimony.Next witness is Janine Philander. She was employed at CoCT emergency centre.@TimesLIVE

#vanbreda Philander worked in a call centre.Their emergency no. is 107 from landline/112 from cellphone. All calls are recorded.

#vanbreda Philander was working on the morning of the murders. 'I received a call from Henri & he phoned in for an ambulance.' @TimesLIVE

#vanbreda Philander: 'Henri sounded hesitant but then he gave a giggle. I thought it was a prank. But he was calm afterwards.'

#vanbreda I thought it was a prank as he did not act the way that people normally act when they make that type of call.

#vanbreda Normally they are frantic, shouting, screaming, in tears, can't recall their contact number, confused. But main thing is...

#vanbreda ...when they phone in, they all say "get the people help, someone is dying, help me!" And that didn't happen with Henri.

#vanbreda I told him if this is a prank I will phone police.Normally pranksters will hang up but he didn't hang up&so I continued call.

#vanbreda it was really strange how calm he was, with my experience this was not normal.

#vanbreda Philander continues...ambulances in the area knew the area.So we struggled with location at first but the ambulances made it there

#vanbreda state will now play clips from the call centre that night. Henris call to the centre to speak to Philander. @TimesLIVE

#vanbreda Philander says Henri was on the line throughout these recordings.

#vanbreda ok here we go.

#vanbreda We are hearing Henri phone in to emergency call centre on morning of the murders at 07:12.We are watching Philander's call screen.

#vanbreda we are hearing Henris voice phoning in. But speakers are distorting. Defence Botha says we need proper speakers for this evidence.

#vanbreda judge says we will adjourn until tomorrow for state to fix sound problems. Judge is handed cd with recordings. @TimesLIVE

 

[JudgeJudi]

Recording will now be played. Seven clips - the recording stopped when call a different service provide; speaking with police then conferencing caller in, then same with ambulance.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

Caller is always on the line.

Call came through at 7:12 that morning.

Audio issues, as the recording can't be heard clearly.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-12-20170516

 

[JudgeJudi]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams · 7m7 minutes ago

Hand up a cd to J.Desai to listen to the whole recording himself this evening and then they will play it again 2mor

 

[JudgeJudi]

Court is adjourned until tomorrow

 

[Estelle]

Well that explains why we thought that Janine Philander was inefficient. She thought it was a prank!

Today's witnesses: The hair evidence I found confusing and not convincing but he is probably right. However, there was no evidence of the hair of black intruders which was not emphasised by Galloway.

The neighbour witness was excellent and strong standing up to Combrink so she sounded credible to me.

The emergency call operator witness now explains to us that she thought Henri was too calm and cool to be reporting what he did. Then when they play the recording, the audio system lets them down. In most courts, this would have been tested beforehand at least during the lunch break.

 

[Tortoise]

OISA!

Zzzzzz

 

[Estelle]

OISA!

Zzzzzz

OISA? What does it mean? Only in South Africa!

 

[JudgeJudi]

Yes, you've got it Estelle.

 

[JudgeJudi]

That hair evidence was the most boring testimony I've ever had to endure.

We've still got the blood splatter expert and the medical witnesses. I'm dreading the latter. It will be gruesome in the extreme. It seems like Galloway is saving them until last.

 

[Interested Bystander]

:laughing: - I had an unexpected visitor so had to down tools. On reading the posts which I had missed I started at the top of this page and came across Desai having to watch something tonight I thought for one moment he was being asked to watch Star Trek 2!

So another half day at the office. At this rate this trial will last longer than the OP debacle!

 

[Interested Bystander]

It occurs to me that there must be a number of people who could confirm the length of his hair at the time of the murder. Bianca for one. She went to the beach with him on the afternoon of the murders. Surely she would remember what he looked like. Can she be questioned over this now that she has appeared as a witness? The hair length arose after she had appeared. Also a neighbour's domestic worker who saw him sitting on the step of the house AS WELL AS the police and ambulance men who attended the murder scene.

 

[Tortoise]

:laughing: - I had an unexpected visitor so had to down tools. On reading the posts which I had missed I started at the top of this page and came across Desai having to watch something tonight I thought for one moment he was being asked to watch Star Trek 2!

So another half day at the office. At this rate this trial will last longer than the OP debacle!

That would be funny if Star Trek was his homework

I think the witness OH today has thrown a very large spanner in Henri's works. The defence weren't able to make any headway with discrediting her and it sounded so rehearsed and predictable when they came up with 'she had already made up her mind about Henri'. She had nothing to gain and she didn't know Henri or say it was Henri in any case.

It could have been a visitor arguing for all she knew. So I think Henri will have to do more than just say she must have heard his movie - he'll have to demonstrate it does sound like men aggressively arguing for 2 hours. I wonder if the court may be treated to a showing of Star Trek yet!

 

[Interested Bystander]

That would be funny if Star Trek was his homework

I think the witness OH today has thrown a very large spanner in Henri's works. The defence weren't able to make any headway with discrediting her and it sounded so rehearsed and predictable when they came up with 'she had already made up her mind about Henri'. She had nothing to gain and she didn't know Henri or say it was Henri in any case.

It could have been a visitor arguing for all she knew. So I think Henri will have to do more than just say she must have heard his movie - he'll have to demonstrate it does sound like men aggressively arguing for 2 hours. I wonder if the court may be treated to a showing of Star Trek yet!

How I wish this trial was being televised. OH sounds as though she was not going to be bamboozled under any circumstances.

At least I have a feeling Desai knows what is going on here whereas M In the OP trial was very weak and easily led by Roux. My biggest fear is that Forensics will have holes shot through much of their evidence. I remember reading that Forensics Departments in SA are very underfunded.

Fingers crossed the appeal on Thursday will get the nod but with both PT and DT against it, the news may be bad.