Body of woman found

JOHANNESBURG - The body of missing Gqeberha woman Desiree Baartman was recovered on Tuesday night, the same day her ex-husband appeared in court on a murder charge. Police Spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said police recovered her remains from a 3.7 metre storm water drain near Stanford Road in the Jagtersvlakte area at about 9pm. “An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death. “The ex-husband, Johnny Baartman, was expected in court yesterday on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.” Baartman (58), was reported missing on Wednesday last week by her ex.

Surgeon found guilty

ITALY - A Swedish appeals court yesterday found Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini guilty of gross assault for implanting artificial tracheas in three patients who subsequently died, sentencing him to two-and-a-half years in prison. The former surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital, which is linked to the institute that awards the Nobel Prize for Medicine, was charged with performing the experimental procedure on three people in 2011 and 2012.

All three later died. In 2022 a district court found him not guilty of aggravated assault in all three cases, but guilty of causing grievous bodily harm in one case, handing down a suspended sentence. However, the Svea court of appeals said on Wednesday it had found him guilty in all three cases.

Construction worker killed

JOHANNESBURG - Tragedy struck on the M4 in Durban on Tuesday night when a minibus taxi driver allegedly lost control, crashing into a road construction vehicle and hitting a young worker who was killed instantly. Garrith Jamieson of ALS Paramedics said the incident, which he described as ‘carnage’, happened at about 9.30pm near the Clairwood offramp. “Construction workers were working on the road when a taxi lost control and ploughed into one of their vehicles and hit a worker on the side of the road. “Paramedics assessed the woman, believed to be in her late 20s, and found she had suffered major injuries.