Reluctant witness tells of drug ‘illness’

THE second last defence witness in the rape and murder trial of Taariq Phillips, told the Western Cape High Court this week she was embarrassed by what happened at La Bac estate on December 31, 2013.

Lameez Martin had to be subpoenaed to testify in the Phillips murder and rape trial.

Phillips, who was Sharisha Chauhan’s boyfriend at the time of the incident, is facing murder and rape charges.

It is the State’s case that Phillips raped and strangled Chauhan.

The defence alleges Chauhan died of a drug overdose.

She was found by friends, naked inside the tent she

shared with Phillips, having seizures.

Martin was part of a group of friends who attended a rave party in Paarl on New Year’s Eve, 2013 when Chauhan became ill in the early hours of January 1, 2014.

She died later that day at Mediclinic Paarl.

Martin, 23 at the time of the incident, testified she ingested LSD (acid) and MDMA (ecstasy) at the trans party but did not see the accused or the deceased

Phillips’s defence

a drug overdose

take drugs.

She admitted she did not remember much of the event.

Several forensic experts testified no drugs or alcohol were found in Chauhan’s blood and urine samples

The court heard how Martin also became ill after she took the “drugs”.

Chauhan also became ill after she allegedly took the drugs, although none of the witnesses, who testified, remembered seeing her or the accused take “drugs”.

Phillips has, throughout the trial, stated Chauhan became sexually aroused and demanded sex from him, which he allegedly refused.

His defence is she masturbated so vigorously that this resulted in tears to her vagina and anus.

Although Phillips has chosen not to testify, his defence is that Chauhan died as a result of a drug overdose.

Martin testified the friends made their way to the bathrooms at the rave when she became ill and all she remembered was that Chauhan also fell ill and was assisted by Phillips to their tent.

The trial resumes on Wednesday.