A British journalist testified in the Western Cape High Court on Monday on his 2010 interview with murder-accused Shrien Dewani.
Nick Parker, the State's seventh witness, has been the chief correspondent for the British newspaper The Sun for 26 years.
On November 22, 2010, nine days after Anni Dewani was killed, he interviewed her husband at his then-publicist Max Clifford's office. Dewani was accompanied by his brother Preyen and sister Preyal. The interview lasted an hour and 20 minutes, and was recorded and transcribed.
Prosecutor Adrian Mopp asked about Dewani's demeanour at the time of the interview.
“He seemed obviously upset. Initially he was reasonably calm as he went through the facts... then he became quite distressed and we had to stop,” Parker said.
The interview related to what happened the night he and his wife were hijacked in Cape Town.
Dewani is accused of the murder of his wife Anni during their honeymoon in Cape Town in November 2010. He has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him, maintaining that the couple were the victims of a hijacking on November 13, 2010.
The State alleges that he conspired with others to stage the hijacking in return for R15,000. Dewani claims the money was for a surprise helicopter trip he wanted to take his wife on.
His wife's slumped body was found in the abandoned shuttle taxi in Khayelitsha on Sunday, November 14.
Mopp went through aspects of the transcribed interview with Parker.
Parker said at one point, Dewani explained what transpired the night of the hijacking and the money that was taken from him.
He said he had the money and his wife had the cellphones.
Parker confirmed that Dewani did not make any reference about the stolen money being used for a surprise helicopter trip.
When asked about talks of him being gay, Parker was apparently asked to switch his dictaphone off.
In December 2010 Parker interviewed German prostitute Leopold Leisser, who Dewani paid for sex.
Clifford sent a letter to the newsgroup's legal head on December 14, 2010.
“ In the letter, Dewani denies that he met Mr Leisser, he denies the mobile phone number... he denies the email address which is contained in the letter. He advises your newspaper company that he was at the gym when he allegedly met with Mr Leisser and had records to prove this,” Mopp said.
The Sun decided to publish its article on Dewani after reviewing its evidence.
According to Dewani's plea explanation: “My sexual interactions with males were mostly physical experiences or e-mail chats with people I met online or in clubs; including prostitutes such as Leipold Leisser”.
Sapa