London - A British judge on Monday adjourned the extradition hearing of Shrien Dewani, accused of ordering his bride's murder during their South African honeymoon, until July.
Chief magistrate Howard Riddle told a London court that Dewani, whose extradition was halted in March over mental health concerns, would face a five-day hearing from July 1 following a review hearing on April 11, if he is deemed fit enough to stand trial.
“We have a review hearing, effectively, on April 11. Mr Dewani will be bailed to that date,” Riddle said.
Dewani's 28-year-old wife Anni, a Swede of Indian origin, was killed in November 2010 during an apparent hijacking in Cape Town just two weeks after their wedding.
A South African man was found guilty of her murder last month and two other local men jailed over the killing say Dewani, 32, ordered the hit.
Dewani, who was not in court on Monday, is being treated at a secure mental hospital and claimed last July that he needed a year to be treated for depression before he could face extradition.
Riddle said he could now be moved from a secure clinic in Bristol, southwest England, to a more open facility following improvements in his mental health.
The court heard that Dewani's depression has improved from “severe” to “moderate”, although it remains at the borderline of severe and he continues to suffer from flashbacks.
Riddle said it was “in the public interest for Mr Dewani to get better” before he is sent to South Africa. - AFP