Anni’s dad on Dewani’s gay lover
Anni’s father lashes out after seeing pictures of Shrien Dewani with his new boyfriend
HE COULDN’T believe his eyes as he stared at his computer screen – there on a website for all the world to see were pictures of his former son-in-law, Shrien Dewani, looking head over heels in love while on holiday with a mystery man.
Vinod Hindocha felt sick to his stomach. While he and his family still struggle to come to terms with the murder of his youngest daughter, Anni (28), here was her widower flaunting his gay love affair.
In the pictures Shrien (38) looks as if he doesn’t have a care in the world as he holidays with Brazilian-born photographer Gledison Lopez Martins in India and on the Spanish party island Ibiza.
And as if all of this wasn’t enough for Vinod to wrap his head around, there’s also video footage showing them togeth- er in fancy dress and cuddling on a train.
For years there’s been speculation about Shrien’s sexual orientation – and now with these pictures, which the British businessman shared on his social media page, it seems Shrien has come out of the closet once and for all. He and Gledison have reportedly been an item for 18 months.
For Vinod (68), seeing the loved-up photos felt like another slap in the face. How was it possible that this was the same man who less than four years ago was standing trial on charges of murdering his beloved daughter?
When Anni died in 2010 while on honeymoon in Cape Town, suspicion immediately fell on her husband. At a glance it looked like a botched hijacking but things didn’t quite add up and Shrien ended up in custody, accused of her murder.
After a protracted court case he was controversially acquitted, even though Zola Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mgeni – the three men who were given jail sentences for their role in the murder – claimed Shrien had hired them to carry out a hit on his bride.
Vinod and the rest of Anni’s family weren’t happy with the verdict.
“The justice system let us down. The law let us down,” he tells us from Mariestad, Sweden, where he and his family live.
And now with these social media pictures Shrien is rubbing salt into their wounds. “I have nothing against homosexuality but this guy . . . It wasn’t right,” Vinod says.
On the first day of the court case Anni’s family had to hear lurid details of how Shrien had paid male prostitutes for sex.
During the engagement, Shrien had
made a good impression on Vinod with his claim that he intended waiting to have sex with Anni until after marriage.
But in court it emerged that during this time he’d been having secret hookups with a male prostitute known as the German Master.
The man’s real name was Leopold Leisser and in September 2016 he ended his own life, hanging himself in his house in Birmingham, England.
What Vinod wants more than anything is to know this: if Shrien knew he was gay, why did he want to marry his daughter?
“When they met he should’ve told her he was gay. She wouldn’t have married him.”
In the pictures of the wedding in Mumbai, India, Shrien and Anni look radiant in matching gold outfits. Shrien has his arm around Anni – a pose similar to the one in the pictures he’s now sharing of himself with Gledison.
Vinod finds it distasteful that he’d take his boyfriend to the same city where he and Anni shared such a momentous life event.
“It hurts us to know he’s taking his new man to Mumbai where he and Anni got married. You’d think he’d show more respect.”
Vinod’s social media presence is a lot more sombre than Shrien’s. On Facebook his profile pic is of Anni with the words “Tragically murdered on her honeymoon in Cape Town”.
He says he first found out about the man in Shrien’s life when a journalist contacted him for comment.
“That was when I went to look at Shrien’s profile on the internet for the first time.”
It really rankles that while his daughter’s life was prematurely ended, her widower, a millionaire care-home owner, continues to live the high life, carrying on as though nothing ever happened.
VINOD says he misses Anni every day.
“I miss her especially during the summer. We used to go to the beach two or three times a week and have a picnic there. We don’t go to the beach anymore.
“She was wonderful and always laughed.”
He says he and his wife, Nilam (66), will never be able to find closure or be able to forgive Shrien until they know everything there is to know about what happened to their daughter.
“It’s not as simple as forgiveness. It’s about what happened and what the truth is.
“To this day we have no answers. It’s not fair. We have loads of unanswered questions and no answers from him.
“We don’t have contact with him or his family.”
Vinod’s brother, Ashok (58), also has lots of questions.
While a court cleared Shrien of the murder, Ashok feels Anni’s widower is still partly responsible for her murder.
“We only came to know about him sleeping with men at his trial,” he says.
“But if Shrien had told us the truth about his sexuality before the marriage, Anni would never have married him or gone to South Africa where she was shot and killed.”
One of the things he’d really like to know is if Shrien’s family knew about his sexual orientation when he married Anni.
“If the Dewanis knew he was gay, why did the family keep it secret? If they’d only told us the truth,” Ashok says.
In another photo on social media the Dewani clan can be seen enjoying a happy family gathering at a restaurant over Christmas.
Shrien and Gledison sit opposite each other at one end of the table – which seems to suggest the Dewanis have accepted their son’s blossoming relationship.
Vinod finds it cruel and heartless that Shrien could share pictures like this when he’s well aware of how Anni’s family continue to suffer.
“What happened to her was traumatic. I don’t think our family will ever get over this,” he says. “We lost our little lion and nothing can bring her back, while he gets to move on.”
‘When they met he should’ve told her he was gay’