‘It looks like a hit now’
DAMNING video footage taken during an undercover police sting operation was played in the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday, where murder accused Christopher Panayiotou can be heard allegedly implicating himself in his wife Jayde’s killing.
“But that’s what I said to you, it became a kidnapping and murder instead of just making it a robbery outside the house,” the businessman can be heard saying in the video.
After a trial-within-a-trial, Judge Dayalin Chetty ruled earlier this week the recording be admissible in court.
Panayiotou had met self-confessed middleman Luthando Siyoni at the Algoa Park Steers restaurant on April 29, 2015, just days after Jayde was shot dead.
A frantic Panayiotou can be heard becoming worried that police were watching his every move and in the video tells Siyoni to destroy his SIM card, cellphone, and further instructed the bouncer not to call him because police were tracing his phone.
Panayiotou said he never wanted the police to find out about the relationship between himself and the bouncer.
“What did they ask you, tell me. Did they ask if I’m involved or anything?” Panayiotou asked. “I’m going to report you called me. In half an hour I’m going to call the investigating officer. He was at my house now and my uncle was all around me,” he continues.
“I’m going to tell them you came to see me, you wanted to borrow money because people took you for questioning for steroids. I have to tell them, they investigating me and if I lie to them they going to take me in.”
The businessman could also be seen handing over cash to Siyoni before telling him to leave town.
“I’m going to be okay as long as they never know about us, Thando. I only ever helped you with the gym. I never did anything with you.
“I’ll sort out your family, you hide low, you need to be gone for a few months until this thing calms down. There’s about five (thousand rand) there, sort yourself out because I’m all out now, this thing has cost me a lot of money,” he said.
Jayde’s mother and sister, Michelle and Toni Inggs, broke down in tears after listening to the video.
“These boys made it look big, I told you let them do it outside the house and take the bags and the rings. And they didn’t take the watch or anything, they just left everything there. So it looks like a hit now, they (are) after me so I can’t just meet you like this in front of people, Thando,” Panayiotou could be heard saying on the video.
Panayiotou, Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko are on trial for conspiracy to kidnap, rob and murder Jayde on April 21, 2015. Panayiotou also faces an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice.