ONE of the men accused of the rape, murder and robbery of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger told the court during his bail hearing that he had been motivated to rob the teenager over a R200 debt owed to a preschool attended by one of his children.
Yesterday, Howard Oliver, 28, applied for bail in the Wynberg District Court. His earlier application was postponed after a magistrate could not be found to hear the matter.
A post-mortem indicated that Franziska had been hit with a blunt object and was suffocated, with sand having been stuffed down her throat while her face was pressed into soil.
Oliver, Jerome Moses, Jonathan Jonas and Daniel Easter are accused of her murder.
An affidavit read out in court by Oliver’s lawyer, Monique Carstens, detailed events leading up to the incident in which Franziska was killed. She said her client had been unable to get R200 to pay for the fees of one of his children enrolled at a crèche.
On the day of the incident, Oliver left work at De Kleine Constantia Farm, passing through Tokai Forest, where he decided to smoke mandrax. He then met Jonas, nicknamed “Jakkals”, explaining he needed money. Oliver spotted Franziska jogging with her cellphone strapped to her arm, at which moment he decided to rob her.
When she ran past him, he grabbed her from behind and placed her in a chokehold until she became unconscious. He grabbed her cellphone and put it in his bag.
Oliver stated that Jonas appeared and pulled out a gun. He ordered Oliver to move further into the fynbos with the unconscious Franziska.
Jonas ordered Franziska to undress while he raped her. Oliver stated Jonas had threatened him and his family, and already had him beaten while in custody due his prison connections.
Carstens said 44 DNA reports were still outstanding, and Jonas had yet to be tested, the results of which they believe would absolve Oliver of the rape.
After a short interval, Carstens requested to relinquish the applications as she was informed of threats made against her clients. Proceedings continue on Friday.