Botanists’ murder: UK expert called

A VERULAM court heard yesterday that the State would seek the services of an international terrorism expert in the case of murdered botanists Rachel and Rodney Saunders.

State advocate Adele Barnard told the Verulam Family Court the State was seeking a remand to May to finalise the services of UK expert Dr Florence Gaub, who would provide a report on terrorism and digital downloads found in the possession of the accused.

The remand was also necessary to serve a provisional indictment on the accused. However, Barnard was not sure if a notice of trial would be issued with the indictment.

Requests to the governments of Somalia and the Netherlands under the Mutual Legal Assistance Act had been finalised and the return of evidence was awaited.

Fatima Patel, 27, and Sayefudeen Del Vecchio, 38, together with Malawian Ahmad Mussa, 36, are facing charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft, contravention of the Terrorism Act and two counts of murder for the February kidnapping and killing of the couple.

The botanists, dual British-South African passport holders, went missing in February in the Vryheid area, where they were thought to be searching for rare plants.

Responding to Barnard yesterday, Mondli Mthethwa, acting for the accused, said that if another postponement was granted, his clients would have been in custody for more than a year and there was no guarantee an indictment would be served by May.

Barnard also told the court “sexually explicit material involving children” was recovered on the electronic devices used by the accused and further charges would be added in terms of the Films and Publications Act.

The matter was adjourned to May 7 for a provisional indictment to be served. | African News Agency (ANA)