Cape Town - Murdered Stellenbosch academic Louis Heyns’s cellphone was used to track his two alleged killers - who have now confessed to their roles in his robbery and murder.
This emerged in the Somerset West Magistrate’s Court on Monday when Malmesbury businessman Juan Liedeman applied for bail.
He is expected to hear on Tuesday whether he will be released.
The court also heard that Liedeman, a fairly wealthy businessman, had allegedly been threatened by the Van Der Walt brothers before and after his arrest.
He feared their violent nature, an affidavit before court said.
Liedeman initially appeared in the dock with brothers Marthinus and Sarel van der Walt.
Relatives of both Heyns and Liedeman were present for the proceedings.
While the brothers face robbery and murder charges, Liedeman faces a charge of robbery as an accessory after the fact and defeating the ends of justice.
On Monday, the Van Der Walt brothers’s legal representative Henk Carstens said his clients had abandoned their attempt to apply for bail.
“I understand from the State and the accused that (the brothers) made confessions,” he said.
Carstens understood a video had been made of them giving their confessions.
He requested a copy of the confession and video be made available to the defence.
Carstens said the brothers had alleged they had been assaulted by the case’s investigation team and among other things, had been shocked with an electric object.
He asked that a district surgeon examine them.
Both requests, for the confession copies and the district surgeon, were denied.
The Van Der Walt brothers are expected back in court in August.
Later, during Liedeman’s bail application, State prosecutor Samantha Raphels read out an affidavit by investigating officer Abraham Niemand.
Niemand said Heyns and his vehicle had last been seen in Somerset West on May 22.
Niemand’s affidavit said through following up on Heyns’s cellphone activity, the Van Der Walt brothers had been traced. The brothers were arrested on May 29.
Niemand’s affidavit said statements from the brothers led to the police finding Heyns’s body.
The statements also revealed who they had sold Heyns’s vehicle to.
Niemand’s affidavit said the police had been to interview Liedeman. On May 29, he (Niemand) managed to recover the vehicle’s engine and wheels which were locked in a storage room.
Liedeman had the keys to the room on him.
Niemand’s affidavit said a witness said some parts of Heyns’s vehicle had been burnt and other parts, found last week, had been hidden in a big tanker.
Another sworn witness statement said a newspaper article about Heyns’s disappearance and a description of his car had been noted.
Liedeman had been told about the article, but did not contact the investigating officer about it, despite a police officer telling him to do so.
The affidavit said Liedeman had destroyed valuable evidence and it was Niemand’s view Liedeman had attempted to defeat the ends of justice.
Liedeman’s lawyer William Booth read out Liedeman’s affidavit.
It said Liedeman was married and had three children, two with his wife.
Aside from an engineering business, Liedeman rented out eight shops.
Both of these businesses brought him about R35 000 per month.
Liedeman’s affidavit said the Van Der Walt brothers had threatened him before and after his arrest.
He was fearful.
Liedeman’s affidavit said he was shocked when, after being arrested, he was told the vehicle that Marthinus Van Der Walt had brought to his premises belonged to a murdered man.
Booth read out a letter from Liedeman’s wife Karlyne and his parents.
Liedeman’s parents said they were convinced their son had not been involved in Heyns’s murder.
They wrote: “We as a family feel for the family of Heyns and will never wish for such a terrible deed to be done to anybody, but pray that God will take them through this difficult time.”
Cape Times