Durban - Judgement in what has been dubbed the “dance floor death trial” was postponed in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Tuesday after the magistrate said she wanted to call another witness.
Magistrate Fikile Luvuno also told a court gallery packed with family and friends of the victim, Juran Raman, that she was not in possession of a complete post-mortem report that detailed his injuries.
She said it was essential that she had this information before delivering judgment.
Luvuno said she wished to call to the stand the district surgeon who performed the post-mortem on Raman to ascertain the extent of his injuries.
The matter was adjourned to August 22.
Sherwin Cara, 24, is charged with the murder of Raman, who was stabbed in the neck while on the dance floor of the Vacca Matta nightclub at Golden Horse Casino in the early hours of March 26, 2011.
In his evidence, Cara alleged Raman fell and cut himself on a piece of broken glass. The prosecution claims Cara allegedly stabbed Raman in the neck with broken glass after the two were involved in an altercation involving Cara’s sister.
Raman died in hospital.
At the trial a single eyewitness, Jason Pillay, testified that he saw Cara stabbing the victim in the neck.
The specialist surgeon, Andrew Tudor, who tried to save Raman’s life, testified that it was “highly improbable” that the injury could have been caused by falling on broken glass. Tudor said the 8cm wound went “almost to the spine at the back of the neck”, and that a good deal of force was needed to inflict it.
The defence witness, prominent Durban private forensic pathologist Reggie Perumal, disagreed and said the wounds were consistent with having fallen on the broken glass.
He said that after analysing the post-mortem report and descriptions of the wounds to Raman’s face and neck, as well as listening to the evidence of Tudor, he concluded that the evidence supported Cara’s version of events.
Raman’s relatives, who packed out the court gallery expecting judgment on Tuesday, said they were unhappy at the delay, but wanted the magistrate to arrive at a just decision with all the facts.
“All we want is justice for Juran,” one said.
Daily News