The Western Cape High Court has found that a police statement made by the father of slain Zahnia Woodward shortly after her murder in December 2016 is admissible as evidence.
Zahnia was shot in the head and her father, Bradley Robyn, hit in the thigh while they were sitting on the pavement in Carnation Road waiting for her mother, Cindy.
Suspects Christopher September, Larry Johnson, Taswill Kriel, Morné May and Miriam Johnson pleaded not guilty to the murder and 11 attempted murder charges, as well as the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and the obstruction of justice.
“I did not read the statement as I could not make out the handwriting. The statement was also never read back to me,” Robyn testified earlier this week.
Retired Warrant Officer Sebastian Kruger, who took the statement, was in the dock on Thursday.
Johnson’s lawyer, advocate Koos Smit, claimed Kruger added details in Robyn’s statement.
“You scratched out ‘mistakes’ but Robyn never signed at the mistake or correction that was made. One can see sentences were added to the statement later,” Smit submitted.
An unhappy Judge Robert Henney told Kruger he had “failed at the basics” of policing.
“Did you not realise later he did not sign where he was supposed to? Did you not follow up?”
Kruger responded: “I took it he signed where I signed. I did not follow up.”
Henney ruled Robyn’s statement admissible.
The matter has been postponed to Tuesday for an inspection in loco of the crime scene.