Durban - A man charged with the murder of his former employee has admitted to having had an affair with the employee’s wife for four years.
Testifying in his defence at the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court yesterday, Larry Bhagwandin said he had acted in self-defence when he shot Raymond Paul.
When Paul, 28, left work after his wife, Yashmeera Singh (aka Kerusha), confessed her affair to him, Bhagwandin, 39, employed Paul’s wife to do his job.
Bhagwandin is married and has three children.
According to Bhagwandin, on the day of the murder in December 2010, Paul had confronted him at his business premises, N&N New and Used Tyres, and tried to attack him with a “blade”.
“I believed that Paul was inclined to violent behaviour, especially when he used to take drugs,” Bhagwandin said, add-ing that when Paul stormed into the office he appeared to be “extremely angry”.
Bhagwandin said Paul had directed several blows towards his upper body while holding the blade.
“A struggle ensued and I tried to ward him off.
“Paul succeeded in wounding me on my neck, but I managed to push him out of the door and he fell onto another employee.”
He said that Paul had lunged at him again with the blade, and that was when he took out his firearm and fired a shot at him.
Paul, who was about a metre away from Bhagwandin at the time, was struck in the chest and died on the scene.
“I was in total shock. When I fired the shot I acted instinctively. I believed if I didn’t react, I would have been killed,” said Bhagwandin.
But state witnesses who testified on Friday, said Paul had been “running away” when Bhagwandin fired at him.
The court heard that Paul allegedly used one of his former colleagues as a “shield” while backing away from Bhagwandin.
When the person he was sheltering behind tripped and fell, Bhagwandin allegedly shot him once in the chest.
Judgment has been adjourned to March 22.
Bhagwandin is out on R3 000 bail.
Daily News