Rohde ‘suffering from depression’
Defence complain of him being brought to court in handcuffs
THE DEFENCE team of real estate mogul Jason Rohde, who is accused of killing his 47-yearold wife Susan, complained because their client arrived at the Western Cape High Court in handcuffs. This after Rohde was arrested on Tuesday.
Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlope issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court on Monday and Tuesday.
He was subsequently arrested and kept in a holding cell at Stellenbosch police station. Rohde was arrested in 2016 for his wife’s murder and is currently out on bail of R1.1 million.
Advocate Pete Mihalik said: “Mr Rohde arrived in handcuffs today. He was taken into custody and taken to police cells, and brought back again today. There was no doubt that he was in hospital. This impacted on my client’s dignity.”
Rohde arrived at court dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and takkies. The court heard yesterday that Rohde was suffering from depression and was booked into the Crescent Clinic in Claremont.
Dr Kevin Stoloff, a psychiatrist at Crescent Clinic, said Rohde was suffering from depression and that he would recover from the illness if he received treatment. “He is sad and miserable,” Stoloff said. In response to a question from the state prosecutor, Louis van Niekerk, who asked whether Rohde was unwell, Stoloff answered: “Yes, that is correct. He is temporarily unwell and will recover in a few weeks’ time.”
Van Niekerk also asked if Rohde would be able to instruct his attorneys properly. Stoloff answered: “His reasoning and concentration are not good. Whether he would be able to instruct his attorneys is a difficult question.”
He said he did not think Rohde wanted to delay the court proceedings.
Rohde’s defence requested that the trial be postponed for six weeks so that Rohde could receive medical treatment.
Judge Salie-Hlope postponed the case to February 21, “to assess the condition of the accused. His bail is reinstated and the accused will remain hospitalised at the Crescent Hospital.
“He should inform the investigating officer if he is discharged. He should later also submit a report to the court that he has full capacity to follow court proceedings.
“The investigating officer should also confirm later that the accused is being treated at the hospital,” Salie-Hlope said.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the State was happy with the outcome of the proceedings.
“The court was able to hear from the psychiatrist who has treated the accused.
“The doctor was able to shed some light on the seriousness of the depression of the accused. We are happy that he has been given until February 21 to be at the clinic and that we will get a progress report on his treatment on that date,” Ntabazalila said.
Rohde was arrested in July 2016 after his wife Susan was found dead in a bathroom at Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.
At first it was suspected that she committed suicide. A post-mortem later revealed that she was strangled.
A medical report later indicated that she was smothered, her lung injured and three of her ribs were broken.