Africa-Press – South-Africa. Jeremy Sias claims he had taken Meghan Cremer’s Toyota Auris and used the bank card he found inside it to draw R100 for wings at KFC.
“He took the car not only to drive it, but to go and buy Kentucky and alcohol. He and his friends were just going to have a nice evening – that was his intention,” defence advocate Bashier Sibda told investigating officer Sergeant Xolani Basso in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.
“He didn’t bother trying to buy more than that. He just wanted [him and his friends] to have food for the evening.”
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Things took “a horrific turn” when he found Cremer’s body in the boot of her car when he wanted to return it to where he had found it at a gate at Vaderlandsche Rietvlei Farm, where he was employed as a general worker and where Cremer lived, Sibda said.
“Mr Sias was in the predicament of knowing he would be found guilty of taking the vehicle and the cards. He also knew he should have gone to the police but had disposed of the body and that was wrong.
“But he says he was heavily influenced by promises you made him.”
Basso, however, denied he made any commitments to the accused to convince him to make any admissions.
He was testifying in a trial-within-a-trial about statements made by Sias in which he admitted to killing Cremer.
The defence does not want this admitted as evidence, saying the accused had been threatened, assaulted and intimidated by police so he could “benefit from promises” made to him to go on trial in a lower court, thereby facing a lesser sentence.
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Basso maintained he had not persuaded Sias to make any admissions and had not made any assurances to him for his cooperation.
He denied he had told him what forum his case would be heard in or that he would be granted bail as it was not a decision he could make.
“I never said that,” a firm Basso testified.
Sias said the detective “came across as being helpful and persuasive”, even going to fetch his girlfriend before he gave his warning statement.
Denied
“It was his request,” Basso responded.
Sias claimed he had not been informed of his rights by the investigating officer, which Basso denied, pointing out he had signed the paperwork confirming this.
He had, however, not explained the legal aid process to him, which Basso conceded to. But, he added, his signature meant Sias had understood what he had explained to him.
Basso said Sias had not told him he had ostensibly been assaulted or that he was in pain of any kind.
He denied witnessing any beating of the accused.
During re-examination, Basso said the version of events Sias had been presenting to the court did not correspond with the information he supplied when his statement was taken, specifically details relating to him finding Cremer’s body in the boot of her car.
Sias denies killing the 29-year-old, who was strangled with a blue ribbon on 3 August 2019.
He, however, admitted to disposing of her body which he said he discovered in the boot of her car after taking it for a joyride.
He dumped her remains on a farm in Olieboom Road, Philippi, apparently because he feared he would be accused of her murder, and later pointed it out to police after his arrest for the possession of suspected stolen property.
The trial continues.
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