Cape Town – Two witnesses who took the stand in the Western Cape High Court yesterday have placed a man fitting alleged wife killer Rob Packham’s description in the parking lot of the Diep River train station on the evening of February 22 last year - the day his wife Gill Packham’s car was found on fire.
Lance Govender and Keanon Thomas, who are friends and had been at Thomas’s Diep River home, said they had been playing video games when Gill’s car was found burning.
Govender said they went to inspect it after they were alerted by Thomas’s dogs barking.
Govender said it sounded as though someone was running behind the house and sent the dogs to inspect, and the two men followed shortly afterwards.
Thomas, who had also identified Packham in a photograph identity parade, was asked to point out if the person he had identified was present in court, to which he replied “yes”, pointing to Packham.
Through instruction from Packham, his defence counsel, advocate Craig Webster, said his client denied that this could be true as he had been at his sister’s home for supper until after 9pm.
Govender described the suspect as “light of complexion”, while Thomas described him as “a mix between white and coloured”.
Govender said they saw the man leaving the vicinity of the train station.
Thomas said he saw a white SUV through the trees and a man got into the driver's side of the vehicle. He had noted the car’s number plate and remembered “CA 724” on this.
Webster asked Thomas if he could have been mistaken about seeing Packham at the station on the night of February 22, 2018, to which he replied “no”.
Packham has pleaded not guilty to murder and defeating the ends of justice.
The State has alleged that he killed Gill with blunt-force trauma to the head and then set her car alight at the Diep River Station with her body in the boot.
The trial continues on Monday.