The "King's Park five" returned to the dock for the murder of a British man, having been out on bail for nearly two months.
|||Durban - The “Kings Park five” returned to the dock yesterday after nearly two months out on bail.
At the end of their brief appearance, Durban regional court magistrate Vanitha Armu amended four of the five’s bail conditions to allow them to report to the police once, rather than twice, a week.
One of them, Andries Jacobus van der Merwe, from the Bluff, was allowed to leave KwaZulu-Natal if he informed the investigating officer.
“But you are not allowed to go to Kings Park until the finalisation of this trial,” were Armu’s final words before adjourning the case. The State had asked for more time to investigate.
The others who are accused of murdering South African-born former British marine Brett Williams at the stadium on March 23, after the Sharks-Rebels match, are brothers Blayne, 23, and Kyle Shepard, 25, from Umbilo, and Dustin Steven van Wyk, 24, from Glenwood.
Grant Cramer, 24, from Escombe, was in the dock with them, but charged only with assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The court heard that Van der Merwe needed permission to leave KZN because his parents had moved to Centurion, in Gauteng.
Absent from court and halfway across the world, Williams’ fiancée, Louise Scott, told The Independent on Saturday by phone last night she had expected an adjournment.
“It’s going to be a long, long process.”
Scott added she had met her local MP, Jeremy Brown, a former minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“He gave me some good information and contacts in South Africa. I haven’t had any of the authorities contact me.”
Scott said she depended mainly on Facebook to receive updates.
She also elaborated on her planned expedition across Norway next March to coincide with the first anniversary of his death and her birthday, which was the same day. Williams knew that part of the world through marines’ exercises.
“I chose to do this as Brett always talked of Norway. He intended to take me to see the Northern Lights,” she said.
“Now I will do this in honour of him, hopefully see the lights and maybe get to be close to him.
“I’m hoping to get funding to help me do this and also I’m intending to not stop until I’m satisfied that everything that can be done for Brett and Lailah his daughter has been done.”
The accused will once again be in the dock on August 27.
Independent on Saturday