Johannesburg - A witness in the trial of a man facing multiple charges, including the murder of toddler Luke Tibbetts, on Thursday said he had made a mistake in a statement about one of the charges.
Yusuf Loonat, the sixth State witness in Lindray Khakhu's trial in the High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, blamed the mistake in his 2013 statement on the murder of Alton Mooi on things happening very quickly.
He was being questioned about the description of a man who shot at his friend's car in Westbury, Johannesburg, on June 17, 2013.
Sog van Eck, for Khakhu, asked Loonat why he was changing his testimony about the clothing the shooter wore on the night Mooi was killed.
In his statement, taken two days after Mooi was killed, Loonat said Mooi's car collided with a red Volkswagen Golf around the corner from the G-Spot shebeen in Westbury.
A young man who Loonat had seen minutes earlier entering the Golf in front of the shebeen, was repeatedly shooting into Mooi's car.
He described him as a medium-built man, not older than 25, wearing a black hoodie with the top of the hoodie off his head.
He was then shown CCTV footage in front of the shebeen shortly after the shooting. A young man wearing a cap and a light blue tracksuit top is seen running away from the crime scene. Loonat said he had made a mistake.
“Everything happened very fast.”
“Then why were you so specific about the other descriptions?” Van Eck asked.
On Monday the court heard that Khakhu allegedly shot at Mooi, who died, on June 17, 2013.
Twenty-two year old Khakhu is on trial for Tibbetts's murder and 17 other charges, including several murders, attempted murder, pointing a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to court documents, Khakhu had been in a brawl with Keenan Mokwena on August 2, 2014. Mokwena pointed a gun at Khakhu and then drove off. Khakhu allegedly shot at the car as it drove off. A bullet hit Tibbetts who was sitting on his mother's lap in another car.
Tibbetts died six days later. Mokwena escaped with injuries.
Sapa