South Africa - Martin, 55, Theresa, 54, Rudi Van Breda, 22, Murdered, 26 Jan 2015 #5

[patCee]

I seem to remember that Henri spent time with Marli and her boyfriend and it was reported that following parental restrictions, that Marli must stop seeing him and concentrate on school work. The b/f said something like the parent deserves to be killed or something similar. Was the b/f Stefan?
At the time I thought it was a strange conversation for them to have. I wonder if the b/f remembers the conversation and feels guilty now that it's happened.

 

[Christelle]

Copied from News24 - 11/05/2017.
"I feel like I want to murder the people that are around you at the moment and I am inches away from losing it with them and breaking down completely…"

This is a message sent by Marli van Breda's ex-boyfriend to the teenager after she told him of an argument at the family's dinner table about two weeks before the De Zalze axe attack.

The upset, according to James Reade-Jahn, who was in the dock on Thursday, was caused by a discussion about Marli's weight.

But advocate Matthys Combrink, for accused Henri van Breda, put it to him that it was also about the seriousness of their relationship, and Reade-John agreed, saying her parents wanted them to "turn it down" ahead of their exams.



Two days after the murders, the then-Somerset College pupil's phone was confiscated by police and conversations he had with members of the family were downloaded.

 

[Christelle]

Continued...
Dinner table spat

The Western Cape High Court on Thursday heard details about a conversation between Reade-Jahn and Marli which took place on January 10 2015, following the argument in the Van Breda home.

Marli had told him about the spat at the dinner table.

He responded: "And finally I know I told you I would tell you everything I always feel or am doing and right now I feel like I want to murder the people that are around you at the moment and I am inches away from losing it with them and breaking down completely.

"But I am being strong to help you and support you babe xxxx.

"Pls I can call you whenever you need me.

"Don't let me sit in the dark like this babe [sic]."

In his testimony, he described the message as a mistake and that he "wasn’t thinking".

"It was not the right things to say to comfort her. It wasn't directed to mean anything," he told the court.

 

[Christelle]

Continued...
Family friends

The axe - exhibit one in the trial - looked very similar to the one he had seen at the Van Breda house, Reade-Jahn said.

The one he remembers was black, 40cm - 50cm long with a light brown handle, black top and silver blade. The one in evidence is green.

He said Martin had bought the axe in 2014 and he had seen it a few times thereafter in the family's garage.

The Reade-Jahns and Van Bredas were family friends, and he and Marli had been dating at the time. He had "loads of conversations" with Henri and visited the house often.

He said he found out about the murders when he messaged Marli on the morning of January 27 2015 and didn't get a response. When he tried to phone, it went unanswered, as did phone calls to the rest of the family.

Reade-Jahn testified he asked his mother, who worked in Stellenbosch, to go to the family home and "see if everything was all right". The family visited often and had been given an access card by the Van Bredas.

After going to the scene, his mother came to his school to tell him what had happened, Reade-Jahn said.

 

[patCee]

Continued...
Dinner table spat

The Western Cape High Court on Thursday heard details about a conversation between Reade-Jahn and Marli which took place on January 10 2015, following the argument in the Van Breda home.

Marli had told him about the spat at the dinner table.

He responded: "And finally I know I told you I would tell you everything I always feel or am doing and right now I feel like I want to murder the people that are around you at the moment and I am inches away from losing it with them and breaking down completely.

"But I am being strong to help you and support you babe xxxx.

"Pls I can call you whenever you need me.

"Don't let me sit in the dark like this babe [sic]."


In his testimony, he described the message as a mistake and that he "wasn’t thinking".

"It was not the right things to say to comfort her. It wasn't directed to mean anything," he told the court.

Thanks Cristelle, well found. I knew there was something like that early on before the murders. So it didn't involve Stefan, but was Reade-Jahne.

 

[Interested Bystander]

It's quite odd actually that Henri would tell the friend "I ****** up". Yet, Henri also states in that conversation that he thinks Marli is starting to believe he commited the murders. Almost as if he was surprised that she would think something like that about him. It just seems a little strange, on the one hand you supposedly admit to the murders, and in the other, you're taken aback by the fact that your sister thinks you commited the murders.

Unless I have misunderstood the earlier post, I think it was Van der Westhuizen who told Henri about Marli starting to believe that is was her brother that attacked them, not vice versa.

 

[Tortoise]

Second time Marli's care arrangements have been postponed to a date beyond Henri's next court date. His sentencing was June 5th and her hearing was postponed to June 11th. His appeal is on June 27th and her hearing has been postponed to July 31st. I think the "to allow her curator to finalize her report" is a euphemism for "to wait until Henri's fate is sealed." Extensions could go on for years.


Following Monday's proceedings, curator Louise Buikman SC confirmed to News24 that the application was postponed to July 31 to enable her to finalise her report. No finality yet over Marli van Breda's future care

 

[JudgeJudi]

O/T Dr Marianne Tiemensma has emigrated to Australia.

So has David Dadic (from the OP days). Apparently he and his family just love it here.

 

[Jennifer17]

O/T Dr Marianne Tiemensma has emigrated to Australia.

So has David Dadic (from the OP days). Apparently he and his family just love it here.

Perth?

 

[JudgeJudi]

Perth?

No, but that was my initial thought too.

She's working for the Department of Health in the Northern Territory.

Her LinkedIn profile says she's been here for 1 year so she must have left immediately after testifying.

 

[Tortoise]

Media still not allowed to interview, photograph Marli van Breda

"Van Breda was first arrested and released on bail in 2016. He was ordered not to have any communication with his younger sister.

During sentencing proceedings, it emerged in a social worker's report that he had remained in contact with her via WhatsApp.

However, it's not clear whether this continued after the bail conditions were set.

 

[Tortoise]

Axe killer Henri #VanBreda barred from contacting Marli | IOL News

"During the sentencing phase of the trial, the court heard that Marli, who still suffers from retrograde amnesia as a result of the attempt on her life, had maintained contact with her only remaining sibling. On Monday, however, the court ordered that Henri may not attempt to make any further contact with his sister.

 

[Fluffykins]

The reason I posted that is because in all probability the only members here who would be familiar with the process are those of us who followed the OP trial. I also thought you may be surprised how long this will take to play out.

In OP's case he went one step further. After the SCA convicted him of murder, he then applied for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court but leave was denied.

Yep JJ, you're absolutely right that I never expected it could take so long. I didn't follow the OP trial on WS, only on the Australian news media. I was kind of puzzled that it kept going on and on (and on!), but if I stop to think about it, I accept any country that calls itself civilised will allow various forms of appeal.

Having said that, I'm not aware Australia has an equivalent of SA's Constitutional Court, but again that may be just something I'm not aware of.

 

[Fluffykins]

As far as I know, our system is Magistrates Court (minor offences), County Court (more serious offences), Supreme Court (most serious offences and functions as a court of appeal). Gosh, that sounds so naive! I must be so uninformed.

 

[Estelle]

Axe killer Henri #VanBreda barred from contacting Marli | IOL News

"During the sentencing phase of the trial, the court heard that Marli, who still suffers from retrograde amnesia as a result of the attempt on her life, had maintained contact with her only remaining sibling. On Monday, however, the court ordered that Henri may not attempt to make any further contact with his sister.

I am amazed that Henri kept in contact with Marli all that time. I guess he wanted to keep her onside. But now she knows the truth, I hope she never sees him again in her life.

 

[Estelle]

OT JJ mentioned David Dadic, a lawyer who used to comment on the OP case so I was curious about his move to Australia. He is now an Immigration Lawyer in Sydney.

Regarding David Dadic moving to Australia:

He wrote a heartfelt letter to his mother who died about eleven years ago but who grew up in Sydney.

A Letter to My Mom - by Dave Dadic | AllThingsMomSydney

"Speaking of Dave’s work – if you aren’t a friend on Facebook, you might not know that he has been running his own practice in Sydney for a while now, after a serendipitous meeting with a local and established solicitor. Unfortunately he fell ill, but saw very quickly in Dave what we all already know – he’s a confident and very capable lawyer! And so, Dadic Legal was born…which has since grown into Pathway Lawyers & Migration Agents. Yes, he qualified as a MA and has already begun helping Saffas find their way to new lives here in Australia. It’s incredible how many people have contacted either Dave or I, saying that they’ve followed our journey and are now either on a similar journey already, or want to find out how to go about it. With our own personal experience still fresh, and Dave’s qualifications, he’s set up a business and has been an incredible support for families wanting to take a chance on something new. So, here’s a little plug for him – for us! If you or anyone you know is interested in finding out more about what kinds of visas are available, email Dave."

These are written my David'a wife about settling into Sydney which you might like to read. .

Things no one tells you will happen when you emigrate.

Ramblings.

18 months

Things no one tells you will happen when you emigrate.

 

[JudgeJudi]

That's where I got the info from for my post and I enjoyed reading all of it. It's interesting to read a newcomer's perspective of our country.

 

[JudgeJudi]

As far as I know, our system is Magistrates Court (minor offences), County Court (more serious offences), Supreme Court (most serious offences and functions as a court of appeal). Gosh, that sounds so naive! I must be so uninformed.

The SA court system is very simple compared to ours. This infographic sets out the Oz court structure.



The High Court can hear appeals from all other Australian courts, and its other chief function is to interpret the Constitution.

 

[JudgeJudi]

More from Nick van der Leek

Judge Desai’s incredible final question to Henri, Henri’s incredible answer and the secret it reveals

Nick van der Leek (@HiRezLife) | Twitter

 

[Tortoise]

Appeal this coming Wednesday...!