Van Breda dagga charges dropped

POSSESSION of dagga charges against axe murder accused Henri van Breda and his girlfriend Danielle Janse van Rensburg have been withdrawn.

The couple appeared in court 17 at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The State prosecutor told the court that the State was withdrawing charges against accused number one, Van Breda and his girlfriend, accused number two, based on merit.

There were no conditions set on the withdrawal of charges against Van Breda, but his girlfriend was ordered to attend sessions with a psychologist on recommendations by the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro).

Van Breda’s lawyer, Pieter Botha, said: “Charges against my client were withdrawn on merits of the matter.”

Botha said recommendation made by Nicro in regards to Van Rensburg were not irregular.

Last year the couple were arrested by Table View police for possession of dagga. Van Breda was released on R1 000 bail and Janse van Rensburg on R200 bail. Before taking a stand in the dock the couple had been sitting together in the front row in the gallery.

The couple held hands throughout their appearance and kept their eyes glued on each other, occasionally sharing a smile. Van Breda was dressed in a navy suit while his girlfriend wore knee-high boots, a short skirt and sleeveless top.

Walking out of the court they showed a united front. They stepped behind their lawyer while an army of journalists took photos of them.

In the next two weeks, Van Breda is expected to appear at the Western Cape High Court on murder charges. He is accused of axing to death his parents and his older brother in the family’s luxury De Zalze estate home in Stellenbosch in January 2015. At his last appearance the case was postponed following a pending appeal on a media order to broadcast the trial live.

His lawyers also asked for the postponement to allow for the State to hand over evidence to the defence team.

The trial will resume on April 24. –