Racial insult hurled before fatal fight

The Kings Park five yesterday became the Kings Park four when charges were withdrawn against Grant Cramer (far right). The other four, from left, brothers Blayne and Kyle Shepard, AJ van der Merwe and Dustin van Wyk will stand trial in March next year. Picture: Tania Broughton

The Kings Park five yesterday became the Kings Park four when charges were withdrawn against Grant Cramer (far right). The other four, from left, brothers Blayne and Kyle Shepard, AJ van der Merwe and Dustin van Wyk will stand trial in March next year. Picture: Tania Broughton

Published Sep 12, 2014

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Durban - A security guard said that moments before a former marine was beaten to death, one of his attackers used a racial expletive and threatened him, the Durban Regional Court was told on Friday.

Baoto Ifomba, a security guard from Fidelity Security Guards, said that on the night of March 23, 2013, he was on duty at Kings Park Stadium when he received instructions by radio to proceed to an area where people were fighting.

Ifomba, who was giving evidence in the trial of four men accused of beating former Royal Marine Brett Williams to death, said that when he arrived at the scene he found paramedics attending to a man lying on the ground.

Blayne Shepard, 23, his brother Kyle, 25, Andries van der Merwe, 23, and Dustin van Wyk, 23, each face a charge of murder, three of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and one of crimen injuria.

They are accused of beating Williams to death outside Kings Park stadium on the night of March 23 last year, after a rugby match.

Ifomba said he and two colleagues began asking people to move away when the man stood up.

“Then I saw (a) white person. He was looking for his chain. The gentleman started to ask me about his chain. I told him I knew nothing about his chain. He started swearing at us. He said: 'K****r, I'm going to kill you'.

“We firmly told him we knew nothing about his chain. He was furious. Very aggressive.”

Ifomba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was testifying with the aid of an interpreter.

He said the group of people exchanged words with the man. He said he did not know what the argument was about as he battled to understand them.

“They were fighting verbally. He was responding.”

He said Williams then said something that annoyed a man in the crowd. He said the man who had insulted them was in the group.

He did not understand what Williams said, but the man who was annoyed retorted: “What did you say? What did you say?”

Ifomba said it was then that the group surged forward, knocking him down. As he fell, his foot became stuck in a trailer parked behind him.

He saw the fatal assault on Williams.

“The deceased was being attacked, assaulted by the crowd. They were assaulting him, kicking him. Someone came with a brick and the deceased was lying on his back. When I stood up they were still kicking him.”

It was then that the crowd dispersed and paramedics tried to revive Williams.

Ifomba said someone had stopped a man who was about to throw a brick at Williams.

He indicated that the brick was about to be dropped on Williams, who was lying down on the floor.

The court has previously heard that Grant Cramer lost his chain during a fight with Williams prior to the fatal beating. Cramer was initially charged with assault, but has denied being part of the beating that led to Williams's death.

The trial continues.

Sapa

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