Ex-CMED boss was suicidal, says fiancée

THE late board chairman of CMED (Pvt) Ltd and managing director of Nemchen (Pvt) Ltd, Mr Leslie John Denn’s fiancée intends to call doctors who treated him of depression to prove that he was suicidal.

Through her lawyer, Mr Dumisani Mtombeni, the fiancée, Ashton Pillary, advised Harare magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube of her move in the ongoing inquest.

It was Pillary who discovered Mr Denn’s body at his Borrowdale house.

She recently asked the court to allow her to re-examine the evidence of the maid and the gardener.

Mr Denn reportedly shot himself on the upper torso in May last year in unclear circumstances.

Pillary has already re-examined the maid, Yvonne Kapakasi.

While re-examining the gardener, John Choruma, on Friday last week, Pillary denied being present when the mattress was burnt .

In response, Choruma told the court that Pillary was lying as it her who instructed that the mattress be burnt.

Pillary said during that time she had gone to the mortuary with the body, but Choruma said that was not true.

Pillary asked Choruma if she was wrong to burn the mattress to try and assist the police to discover the missing cartridge.

“I did not hear any police officer giving that instruction and when the mattress was burning no police officer was present,” replied Choruma.

Earlier in her evidence before engaging a lawyer, Pillary did not dispute being present when the mattress was burnt.

The inquest continues on May 12.