Ugly light shone on Montecasino accused

188 2015.04.13 JP Malan and Maruschka Robinson at the Palm Ridge Court are accused of murdering Dustan Blom in September 2013 and leaving his body in the boot of a vehicle in the Montecasino parking lot. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

188 2015.04.13 JP Malan and Maruschka Robinson at the Palm Ridge Court are accused of murdering Dustan Blom in September 2013 and leaving his body in the boot of a vehicle in the Montecasino parking lot. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

Published Apr 17, 2015

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Johannesburg - Two new State witnesses in the so-called Montecasino murder trial have shone an ugly light on the two accused.

In particular, former stripper Maruschka Robinson was alleged to be callous, manipulative and almost gleeful in her alleged murderous intent.

Robinson and her former boyfriend, JP Malan, have been charged with the murder, robbery and defrauding of Dustan Blom, who was allegedly choked at his home and his body abandoned in the boot of his car at the Montecasino parking lot in September 2013.

While both have pleaded not guilty to the murder and robbery charges – seemingly blaming each other for Blom’s death – they have admitted to defrauding him.

The first witness to take the stand in the High Court sitting in Palm Ridge was Clinton Vigne, the assistant surveillance manager at the Fourways casino and mall.

He showed the court footage of Malan and Robinson just hours after the killing, flirting, giggling, gambling and defrauding cashiers using Blom’s bank card to draw thousands.

Shortly after entering the casino, the pair are seen pinching each other’s bums, kissing and making jokes with the cashiers. “I’m happy here today,” Malan cheerfully tells one cashier as he withdraws R15 000 from Blom’s bank account.

About 13 hours later, Blom’s Nissan Qashqai is spotted entering the regular parking.

It was abandoned for three days before security guards found his body.

Malan and Robinson are clearly visible in the initial clips of the video, Robinson’s upper-back tattoo of a cross is also visible as she plays the slot machines. But it is impossible to identify the person driving the Nissan in the other footage.

The second witness to take the stand on Thursday was a former stripper who worked with Robinson and who was dating Blom in the days leading up to his death. She was also originally a suspect in his murder. The court has ordered that the woman not be identified.

She told the court of her relationship with Blom, whom she had met at the Lollypop Lounge strip club on September 3, 2013. She and another dancer were hired to perform private shows for Blom at the Montecasino hotel and then his home over a period of two days.

However, on the Sunday of that week, the pair went on their first “real” date, and “made love” for the first time.

The woman knew Robinson lived in a spare room at Blom’s home in Northriding, and told the court that how after working with her for three years, she did not like her.

A few days later, after the woman had spent the night again, Blom had left early from his home and Robinson had entered the bedroom. She had begun talking about how much money Blom had, saying how he had spent hundreds of thousands of rands on two other former strippers he had dated.

Just days before his death, Blom had decided to take a trip to Bali for a detox retreat, and the woman noticed how panicked Robinson became when she heard the news.

Soon after, Robinson’s demeanour changed. She gleefully told the woman that she and Malan were going “to have a reason to celebrate”.

When Blom had gone missing on September 19, the woman had had numerous conversations with Robinson, who would ask in a carefree tone about Blom’s whereabouts.

When a search party was formed, Robinson laughed over the telephone when she told the woman she would not be joining the hunt.

Shortly before the court adjourned for the day, Robinson’s attorney, Jesse Penton, asked why this level of detail on his client’s behaviour was not in her official police statement. She struggled to respond.

The trial continues.

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The Star

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