Moments after the end of their trial on Monday, a row was already brewing when Nicolette and Hardus Lotter’s former lawyer, Danie Grundlingh, handed out a press release announcing the immediate release of his book on the “true story” of the murders of Johan and Rickie Lotter.
“We have no knowledge of this,” said the siblings’ uncle, the Reverend Willem Lotter.
While he said he had “no comment” at this stage, other relatives told The Mercury privately that they would “explore it further”.
“He’s offering to sell it (the book) to us from the boot of his car,” said one. “What is going on?”
Nicolette’s advocate, Theuns Botha, said she had asked him to investigate the possibility of interdicting the book’s release.
She had told Botha that she believed she might have “signed over certain rights to Grundlingh”.
“Somebody from his office was visiting her in jail and she thought it was part of the legal consultation (for the murder trial). Then she discovered that he was gathering information for a book. She fired Grundlingh,” said Botha.
“I approached him personally and asked him if the story about the book was true. He denied it, saying he was leaving South Africa to live overseas. But I was told by people at Westville prison that he has been visiting Hardus regularly.”
The book, Innocent Acts of Evil, is being punted as “the true story of the murders through the eyes of Hardus Lotter”.
While Grundlingh is named as the author, he told The Mercury it was the product of a “project team” he had put together.
He said he knew his motives would be questioned, but he had the “kids’ best interests at heart”.
Grundlingh came on the scene soon after the siblings were arrested, along with Mathew Naidoo, for the July 2008 murders.
Ostracised by their relatives, the two had little emotional support and no financial resources. Grundlingh was reportedly asked to assist them by members of the Westville Baptist Church, where Nicolette was once a parishioner.
A strong believer in their innocence, at one stage he unsuccessfully applied to the Durban High Court for them to get money from their parents’ estate to fund their defence.
He said yesterday that the “project team”, whom he declined to identify, had been concerned after looking on Facebook and discovering that “certain journalists were trying to write the book”.
“We also wanted to put the truth on record,” he said.
Grundlingh said proceeds from the book – which had to be kept strictly under wraps until the trial was finalised – would be put into a trust.
“The trustees will then decide how the money will be disbursed and they (Nicolette and Hardus) will be able to make requests for money for, say, education,” he said.
But first, he conceded, his expenses of “around R500 000” would have to be paid. This bill had been run up through “experts, editors and printing”.
Grundlingh said Nicolette had initially been part of the project, but then she had had a dispute with Hardus and then one with him, “and then I said I can’t be her lawyer any more”.
“The book was finished well before the trial started. I have always only acted in their best interests. I will make no profit from this. In fact, I have made a huge loss because I have never received a cent from anybody for what I have done for them,” he said.
“I am doing nothing wrong. The story is in the public domain anyway. How you can you stop it?”
Grundlingh said he was marketing the book from his law firm and it was also available on the internet. - The Mercury