Durban - A Fidelity security guard supervisor on Thursday placed all four young men accused of the beating to death of former British Royal Marine Brett Williams at the scene of the crime.
However, it emerged that at an earlier police identity parade, Michael Norman did not point out any of the four accused.
While under cross-examination in the Durban Regional Court, Norman also said his security company had never investigated the incident, nor had it asked him for a report of what had happened at the King’s Park stadium after a Sharks-Rebels Super Rugby match in March last year.
He conceded, though, that Fidelity, which has a stadium contract, had met after media reports soon after the attack saying they were in big trouble, as this was an “international incident” and that the guards should report being assaulted as well.
Norman said he had made two police statements and the second one was about his assault. “I realised when I got home that night that I was hit.”
He testified that he was called out by his control room on the night of March 23 last year and witnessed the second of two fights that night.
The first fight involved Grant Cramer, who testified earlier that Williams threw the first punch, but that he then got Williams in a choke hold before releasing him.
He had said Williams fell to the ground and, while the paramedics revived him, he searched for his lost chain when a second fight took place apparently involving Cramer’s friend Blayne Shepard, 24, Shepard’s brother Kyle, 26, and their friends Andries van der Merwe, 24, and Dustin van Wyk, 24.
The four have all pleaded not guilty to killing Williams and to charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, crimen injuria and public violence. They are out on bail of R5 000 each.
Cramer was initially charged with the others, but the State withdrew charges, saying his actions had been in selfdefence and he was not involved in the later brawl that led to Williams’s death.
At one point on Thursday, Norman became emotional when looking at the crime scene photographs and described the second fight as a vicious attack.
He testified to seeing Blayne punch Williams, who fell, and also to seeing Van Wyk and Blayne kicking Williams while he was on the ground. He also said Van Wyk had his arms outstretched during the fight, preventing the guards from getting to the others.
Under cross-examination by the Shepard brothers’ lawyer, advocate Christo van Schalkwyk, Norman said there was no supervisors’ meeting about the incident, and that he was not asked by Fidelity to write a report about what had happened.
He conceded he was also not asked to look at pictures or video footage of that night, nor did he take part in any internal investigation.
Van Schalkwyk said it was widely reported that the stadium was conducting an investigation, but Norman said he was not asked to be part of that investigation.
Norman also conceded that his contribution to an investigation would have been important as he was there during the fight.
He said he did take the police to the crime scene a few days later, and explained to them what happened that night. He later made a formal police statement.
He said he made a second statement to the police about his assault, after being advised to do so by a colleague.
“I didn’t report it (earlier on) as I didn’t require medical attention. It was just muscular injuries to my ribs, ear and jaw. I’m not sure when it happened and who was responsible,” said Norman during his evidence-in-chief.
The trial continues.
Daily News