Port Elizabeth - Christopher Panayiotou’s father threatened that he “wanted nothing to with him” after learning of his son’s extramarital affair with Chanelle Coutts, the Port Elizabeth High Court heard on Tuesday.
Detective Warrant Officer Leon Eksteen testified for the second day in the eighth week of the ongoing murder trial involving Panayiotou and his two co- accused.
Panayiotou, Sinethembe Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko are charged with the murder of Panayiotou’s school teacher wife Jayde Panayiotou during April last year.
A trial-within-a-trial is currently underway which aims to deal with the admissibility of a video recording between alleged middleman Luthando Siyoni and Panayiotou during an undercover police sting operation on April 29 last year.
Eksteen was responsible for facilitating calls Siyoni made to Panayiotou in the run up to the police sting operation.
During cross examination on Tuesday, defence advocate Terry Price asked Eksteen if he had ever mentioned to a police officer that Costa Panayiotou had threatened to “disinherit” his son Christopher.
Eksteen and the Panayiotous were family friends for a period of 16 years, prior to Jayde’s killing.
Eksteen and the Panayiotous have become estranged since Christopher’s arrest in connection with Jayde’s murder.
“We were friends and there was a time Costa suspected Christopher had another relationship,” said Eksteen.
Eksteen said that when Christopher and Chanelle’s relationship was confirmed, Costa was furious.
Eksteen told the court that he had heard Costa saying: “I don’t want anything to do with him (Christopher).”
Price put it to the detective that Costa had made two statements denying ever saying that.
“Costa never used the word disinherit, he denies those conversations ever took place,” said Price.
Eksteen insisted that the conversations did in fact take place and he interpreted Costa’s words as meaning disinheritance.
Eksteen added: “Costa said he was avoiding Christopher because of the Chanelle issue, and that he would write them off.”
The State alleges that Panayiotou orchestrated his wife’s murder because she was a “financial burden”.
The trial continues.
African News Agency