Covid delays murder trial bail hearing

The bail application of Charl Kinnear murder accused Zane Kilian has been delayed again because the prosecutor had to go into Covid-19 isolation.

During brief proceedings in the Bellville Regional Court yesterday, prosecutor Blane Lazarus said his colleague, Greg Wolmarans, could not make it after he was identified as a contact of a colleague who contracted the coronavirus.

Wolmarans is isolating to see whether he develops symptoms of Covid-19.

The Western Cape’s health department is on high alert after it declared the Garden Route a Covid-19 hotspot and it has warned that the Cape metro could soon be in the same position.

Kilian appeared in court with his glasses perched on top of his now-shaved head, exposing colourful tattoos.

The court doors were guarded by specialist police officers, who rested their hands near the triggers of weapons that were pointed down.

The bail application was postponed to next Tuesday and Kilian remains in custody.

There was reportedly a shooting outside the Highlands North home of a Johannesburg-based witness on Monday night.

The witness is alleged to have supplied the cellphone technology used for tracking or “pinging” the location of cellphones.

Kilian was yesterday expected to give his side of the story and say how he intends to plead.

Some details of the “pinging” service he used, how he obtained it and why he obtained it are expected to be made public.

Last week, Kilian’s lawyer said his client was fetching medicine at a pharmacy at the time of Kinnear’s murder on 18 September.

This was after it was found that Kinnear’s phone had been secretly tracked.

William Booth a empted hit

In a separate case, Kilian also faces a charge of attempted murder, along with four others, for a shooting at the home of defence lawyer William Booth in April.

Kilian, Kauther Brown, Kim Smith, Ibrahim Deare and Riyaad Gasant on Monday appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court in connection with the shooting.

Kilian worked as a private investigator in Gauteng and was brought to the Western Cape for the Kinnear case after his arrest.

He was then joined to the Booth case.

The Western Cape’s health department declared the Garden Route a Covid-19 hotspot and warned that the Cape metro could soon be in the same position soon.