Cop tells court of Jayde accused friendship
PORT ELIZABETH: A police officer and former family friend of the Panayiotous testified how murder accused Christopher Panayiotou had grown up in front of him, and how he had attended his wedding to Jayde.
Yesterday, Detective Warrant Officer Leon Eksteen, from the police’s Organised Crime Unit, who had been friends with the Panayiotous for 16 years before Jayde’s murder last year, testified in the continuing murder trial of Christopher and two co-accused who face charges relating to Jayde’s murder.
A trial-within-a-trial is under way, which aims to ascertain admissibility of a video recording between alleged middleman Luthando Siyoni and Christopher during an undercover police sting operation on April 29 last year.
Eksteen described how he had attended the couple’s wedding, and how Christopher would call him when he needed advice on “life”.
He said Christopher had grown up in front of his eyes, and that the businessman had been a boy when he befriended the Panayiotous. Eksteen and the Panayiotous have since become estranged.
He said he got involved in the case to help out as a “friend” and not in his official capacity as a police officer. He helped investigative officer Kanna Swanepoel.
“Kanna asked if I could be of assistance because I knew accused No 1 (Christopher) and that accused No 1 was implicated by Luthando Siyoni.”
A few calls were played out in court. In one recording, Siyoni is heard talking to Christopher: “Boss, I’m in deep trouble, I need to call you.”
Afterwards, Christopher is then heard telling the bouncer to call him back in 15 minutes.
Siyoni previously testified that police “forced” and “threatened” him to call his boss as part of the sting operation.
Eksteen told Siyoni what to tell Christopher, and the two then eventually met at a garage. A recording device was placed in Siyoni’s vehicle.
The defence want the video recorded during the sting operation ruled inadmissible.
The State alleges Christopher hired the bouncer from his Infinity nightclub to recruit hitmen to kidnap and kill Jayde as she was a “financial burden”.
The trial continues.