- The trio accused of murdering UK horticulturist couple, Dr May Saunders and her husband Rodney has pleaded not guilty to the murder.
- The trial kicked off with the accused, Aslam Del Vecchio, locked in a heated argument with Judge Sharmaine Balton over court proceedings.
- He stormed out of the dock with his co-accused, claiming their constitutional rights were being violated.
The trio accused of murdering a UK couple stormed from the dock of the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Wednesday, claiming their constitutional rights were being violated, with one involved in a shouting match with the judge over court proceedings.
The murder trial had finally kicked off on Wednesday, after two days of postponements.
Aslam Del Vecchio, 39, Bibi Fatima Patel, 28, and Mussa Ahmed Jackson, 35, stand accused of murdering well-known horticulturist couple, Dr Rachel Saunders and her husband Rodney.
The couple, who ran a Cape Town-based seed company, had been in search of a rare flowering plant when they were murdered in February 2018 in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal
READ | Trial into murder of UK couple postponed again
On Wednesday, the trio pleaded not guilty to charges of theft, murder, kidnapping and malicious damage to property.
But instead of the court proceedings moving ahead, Del Vecchio became embroiled in a heated exchange with Judge Sharmaine Balton, over consultations with their legal representative.
Del Vecchio seemingly broke ranks with his lawyer Bulelani Mazomba and began addressing the court himself.
He complained that he did not have enough time to consult with his lawyer; this, after Balton postponed the matter on Monday and Tuesday for Patel and Del Vecchio to further consult with Mazomba.
Del Vecchio stressed that he wanted to challenge the search and seizure, during which authorities gained access to key evidence linking himself, Patel and Jackson to the murders.
Balton, however, stood firm, saying that until evidence was presented to the court, no application could be made.
She exclaimed:
She added that they (the accused) would sit through proceedings as they had already consulted with Mazomba.
Shortly after, Del Vecchio and his co-accused stormed out of the court room, and headed down to the holding cells claiming their constitutional rights were being violated.
Balton then had a short exchange with Mazomba who indicated that he had explained the court proceedings to his clients.
"I explained this to the accused a long time ago; it seems as if they have their own opinions, they want to conduct the case according to their way, not according to what I know," Mazomba added.
Court was adjourned in order for Mazomba to explain court processes to Del Vecchio and Patel.
The duo were previously accused of having links to terror group Islamic State (ISIS). The Saunders couple who had dual South African and British citizenship, were allegedly kidnapped near the Bivane Dam in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, on 12 February 2018.
The couple left Cape Town on 5 February 2018, to film a documentary in the Northern Free State and were travelling in their Toyota Land Cruiser.
The couple's last communication with an employee was on 8 February 2018, when they indicated that they would be camping at the Bivane Dam in KwaZulu-Natal.
It was established that on 13 February 2018, Del Vecchio, Patel and Jackson, withdrew money from various ATMs and they made several purchases with a FNB card that belonged to Rachael Saunders.
Saunders' FNB account was linked to her cellphone number. An analysis of the cellphone data confirmed that her phone and Del Vecchio's cellphone was at the same place at exactly the same time on 10 February 2018, near the Ngoye Forest.
On 15 February 2018, Del Vecchio and Patel were arrested at their premises in the Endlovini area.
Saunders' body was recovered on 14 February 2018 in the Tugela River, while Rodney's was recovered in the Tugela River on 17 February 2018.
Both had suffered blunt force trauma.
The matter is set to continue on Wednesday.
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