Van Breda’s defence complains of ‘ambush’

HENRI van Breda’s defence counsel accused the prosecution of an “ambush” yesterday over a forensic pathologist’s evidence that cuts on the axe murder accused’s body were likely to have been self-inflicted.

Piet Botha’s outburst came during testimony in the Cape Town High Court by Dr Marianne Tiemensma‚ who said it was interesting that Van Breda’s plea statement was so detailed when someone with concussion would probably have remembered a lot less.

Botha said he had not been warned about statements she would make.

In his plea statement‚ Van Breda claimed the knife wounds were sustained in a scuffle with the alleged intruder he blames for the murders of his parents and brother and the attempted murder of his sister at their Stellenbosch home in January 2015.

The trial resumes on Monday.