Court delays Henning’s murder trial
The trial of wealthy businessman Nico Henning, who is accused of masterminding his wife Chanelle’s murder four years ago, was yesterday postponed to June 6 next year.
Chanelle’s parents, Ivan and Sharon Saincic, expressed disappointment and said the delay of the trial was “too long”.
The 25-year-old Chanelle was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on November 8, 2011, shortly after dropping off her son at a creche in Faerie Glen, Pretoria. The couple were estranged at the time and embroiled in a divorce and custody battle over their son.
Henning handed himself over to police in December 2013, shortly after his former friend Andre Gouws and Ambrose Monye made confessions in which they pointed the finger at him.
The state alleges Henning had supplied the hitmen with intimate details about his wife’s home address and movements.
Former policeman Gouws and Monye, a self-confessed drug dealer, were sentenced to life imprisonment in February last year, but are appealing their sentences.
Gouws initially denied having anything to do with the murder, but later changed his mind and told the court he had used Monye as a middleman to secure the services of the two hitmen, former policeman Gerhardus du Plessis and Willem Pieterse.
He claimed Henning had offered him R1 million to murder Chanelle because he wanted sole custody of his child.
Du Plessis and Pieterse are currently serving 18-year sentences after pleading guilty to murder.
Henning faces charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He has not pleaded to the charges yet. Henning’s bail of R10 million was extended.