Kimberley - The 16-year-old boy who has been arrested in connection with the Steenkamp murders has been portrayed by the prosecution as emotionless.
The investigating officer in the case, Colonel Dick de Waal, told the court that the boy smirked when he heard the news of his arrest over the radio. The boy has yet to pronounce his innocence in the crime.
De Waal added that the boy had shown no emotion and was calm, both on the night of the murder as well as when he was arrested in Bloemfontein by members of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (Hawks) in the Northern Cape.
De Waal said he transported the accused to Kimberley on August 21 when news of his arrest was broadcast over the radio.
“I checked him in the rear view mirror and saw that he was smiling when he heard the headlines.”
Legal representative for the defence, Advocate Willem Coetzee, said that the State was over-exaggerating the gruesome nature of the murders and their assumptions were “baseless and circumstantial”.
“The accused has not threatened anyone since the incident. He is not a flight risk and will not interfere with State witnesses or any State evidence.”
He added that, following the incident, the teenager had access to a firearm although he had not harmed anyone.
“He knew that he was the only suspect and expected to be arrested. It is ludicrous to think that he had no idea that he would be prosecuted.”
Coetzee reminded the court that the mere fact that the accused was a child amounted to an exceptional circumstance that motivated his release from detention.
Coetzee confirmed that the accused had no previous convictions or pending cases.
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