Durban - The private investigator who nabbed an alleged kidnap and murder suspect, has called his latest antics in court “predictable” and “typical of a sociopath.”
Brad Nathanson was reacting to claims that Siam Lee murder accused, Philani Ntuli, was beaten and suffocated on the day that he was apprehended.
“This is his attempt to take the spotlight off himself and the cases against him,” Nathanson said.
In the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday, Ntuli told Magistrate Mohamed Motala that he was attacked by those who arrested him and forced to wear another change of clothing when he was taken to the police station. This, Ntuli claimed, was to hide the DNA from his apparent assault at the hands of his captures.
Pleading his plight, Ntuli said he was forced to sleep on a mat at the Durban North police station holding cells. He is being remanded in custody while necessary investigations continue around the case. Ntuli appeared briefly in court, where he asked not to be sent back to the Durban North SAPS cells.He requested instead to be sent to Westville prison in the interim. However, Surekha Marimuthu, State Prosecutor, argued that the holding cells were easily accessible for the investigating team.
Ntuli claimed that his family was being verbally abused when they came to see him. He further claimed that his lawyer, Carl van der Merwe, who has since recused himself from the case, had to wait hours before he could speak to him.
“They also said ID parades would take place but that did not happen,” he said.
Magistrate Motala ruled that Ntuli be returned to the holding cells at Durban North in order for investigations to continue. He further ordered police to act within the ambit of the law.
Outside the court, friends and concerned residents held up placards and chanted for her and other men accused of murdering women, to be given maximum sentences.
Daily News