Novella has ‘breakdown’, trial delayed

THE trial of Guatemalan murder accused Diego Novella has again been stalled as a private psychiatrist will only be able to assess him today.

The defence’s final arguments were due to be delivered on Monday, but Novella has told the court that he had lied when he gave his testimony.

The shocking revelation rendered his defence lawyer “gobsmacked” and “completely and utterly taken aback” and left the State scrambling to have him assessed by a district surgeon as soon as possible.

After his assessment, the court was told that he had had a panic attack and would need to be placed on suicide watch at Pollsmoor Prison.

But the surgeon believed that Novella was able to understand court proceedings.

As a result of the suicide risk, he was switched from a single cell to a cell with 11 others.

Novella is on trial for the murder of his 39-year-old girlfriend, Gabriela Kabrins Alban, in 2015. Alban, who was suffering from Lymes disease, had joined him in Cape Town to seek medical treatment.

Her body was found in the room she was sharing with Novella, at an upmarket boutique hotel in Camps Bay on July 29, 2015.

She had been strangled and had suffered blunt force trauma.

Novella was arrested the same day, a few hours after hotel staff found Alban’s body. He has pleaded not guilty. In his plea statement, Novella, who lived off his family’s trust fund and has never been employed, claimed he had been in an abnormal mental state after he took hallucinogenic substances.

His defence has argued that as a result of his psychotic-like state, he had diminished criminal capacity.

On Tuesday, Novella’s lawyer William Booth told the court that the distressed mental state his client displayed on Monday had not improved, despite the district surgeon increasing the dosage of his medication.

“I am not sure what he meant by what he said yesterday, and it is an aspect that needs sorting out. From a legal aspect, I may have to take that under advisement. That all depends on what comes out after a full and proper consultation.”

Novella will also be seen by a doctor at Pollsmoor Prison tomorrow.

Judge Vincent Saldanha postponed the matter to Monday. – African News Agency (ANA)

I AM NOT SURE WHAT HE MEANT BY WHAT HE SAID YESTERDAY... FROM A LEGAL ASPECT, I MAY HAVE TO TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT