Cape Town – The defence team in the murder trial of Melvin Volkwyn will today continue its cross-examination of toddler Orderick Lucas’s biological father, Doukomancia Kounkou Dziendelet, in the Western Cape High Court.
Defence attorney Susan Kuun yesterday poked holes in the State’s case in which it accused Volkwyn of the death of Orderick and having hidden the toddler’s body in a stormwater drain in Wittebol Street, just metres away from the home of the toddler’s grandparents.
Orderick was found eight days after being reported missing on March 25, 2019.
Dziendelet told the court he was unaware of the drug use of his partner and mother of four of his children, Davidene Lucas, despite her testing positive for tik, mandrax and cocaine during her pregnancy with Orderick.
“People were telling me that but I did not notice it myself,” said Dziendelet.
“This could have been an arrangement between the two of them (Volkwyn and Lucas) but I was unaware
Lucas had previously testified in court about her drug use, also confirming that she had blown mandrax smoke into Orderick’s face, “to help him sleep” and because he “was annoying”.
Dziendelet painted a picture of being kept in the dark, saying he was unaware of his son’s teeth also having allegedly been extracted with pliers. Dziendelet said he was only informed after Orderick had already gone missing that his son’s teeth were not extracted at a medical facility.
Volkwyn reacted by shaking his head in disbelief in the dock while listening to Dziendelet’s version of how Volkwyn was accused of extracting Orderick’s teeth with pliers.
Dziendelet also said he was unaware that Orderick was taken to hospital with a “fever, diarrhoea and dehydration” just days before his disappearance.
The court further heard that Dziendelet was “unaware” that Orderick would sometimes be left in the care of Volkwyn.
“This could have been an arrangement between the two of them (Volkwyn and Lucas) but I was unaware,” said Dziendelet.
Kuun said she intended to also call the social worker who conducted an investigation which led to the removal of three children from the custody of Lucas and Dziendelet, to testify.
One-year-old Orderick was removed from his parents’ care in January 2019, along with his seven-year-old twin brothers following a child welfare and social worker investigation, with a court order placing the children in the guardianship of their maternal grandparents.
New witnesses are also expected to take the stand this week.
Cape Times