Murder and other charges against soccer star Bryce Moon were reinstated because he would not pay for the funeral of the woman he allegedly ran over and killed, the Randburg Magistrate's Court heard on Thursday.
Moon was making an application to have the charges against him withdrawn. His lawyer Naren Sangham accused Nancy and Greg Turner, the employers of Mavis Ncube, of fabricating evidence to have charges against Moon reinstated.
Moon faces charges of murder, alternatively attempted murder, drunken driving, and reckless or negligent driving, alternatively inconsiderate driving.
He allegedly struck Ncube with his car at high speed on Katherine Street in Sandhurst, Joburg, in 2009. She was walking to work. She died at the Morningside Clinic.
Sangham said: “It's obvious that Turner (Greg) was trying to initiate some kind of compensation to be paid to the family of the deceased.”
He said Turner sought evidence against Moon after a family meeting between Ncube's family and Moon's family.
At this meeting, Ncube's family expected Moon to pay burial and hospital fees, the court heard.
Sangham said the Moon family went to sympathise with the family over Ncube's death, but refused to pay any money.
“There was displeasure when the Moons said they wouldn't pay.”
Sangham said Turner made changes to his initial statements, to add and omit information. He said in doing so, Turner was denying Moon a fair trial.
Sangham accused the Turners of dictating and driving the investigation.
Turner previously testified that he had been asked by a police officer to take pictures of the accident scene.
“It's absurd that a civilian who has no experience with criminal procedures would be asked to assist in investigating a case,” Sangham said.
He said the Turners had pressured the police into investigating the accident again. Turner also had a different description of the accident, contended Sangham.
Turner told the court that Thandi Sibanda, who was with Ncube when the accident happened, had told him she had heard a knocking sound when Moons' car was approaching.
When Sibanda was asked in court what she had heard, it was different to what she had apparently described to Turner.
Sangham said Turner had fabricated his evidence, and his statements were unreliable.
Charges against Moon were previously withdrawn, but reinstated in April last year. – Sapa