Port Elizabeth - Murder accused Christopher Panayiotou's mistress, Chanelle Coutts, took the stand in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Monday to testify as a defence witness.
The public gallery was packed with members of the media, the Inggs family, Panayiotou family members and women at court to support Coutts.
Coutts, dressed smartly in black, hastily entered the court and at every opportunity avoided being photographed by the media. Coutts, 29, who worked as a manager at the Panayiotou's OK Grocer, testified that during April 2015, during the days after Jayde Panayiotou was shot and killed, the police pressured her into giving them information.
Coutts said that police picked her up from the OK Grocer and took her to the Hawks offices in Newton Park. She said she felt "confused, scared and intimidated" at the meeting which lasted for three hours.
Defence witness Chanelle Coutts arrives at court. Video: Raahil Sain/ANA
She testified that at some stage she decided to appoint attorney Danie Gouws because she felt that the police were harassing her: "[Investigating Officer] Kanna came to my house and put a lot of pressure on me and kept on asking the same questions over and over again. They insinuated that I was covering up for Christopher."
Coutts also denied that Panayiotou had paid a deposit of R17 000 for her new Polo vehicle. Coutts claimed that Panayiotou had "contributed" towards it through a bonus.
She claimed that the money was paid directly to Tavcor. However, State advocate Marius Stander questioned why, if the R17 000 was a bonus for working at the OK Grocer, it had not reflected in the business's financial books.
Coutts said she had extensive knowledge of what went on at the OK Grocer, particularly on stock control, financials, budgets and day to day operations. She denied that the business was ever in financial trouble and claimed that police fabricated information in her statement to police.
Coutts said she had "no idea" as to how the State got information on the motive for Jayde's alleged murder. Advocate Terry Price asked her: "The motive put by the State at the bail application was that Christopher wanted to kill Jayde because she was expensive."
The mistress also denied any knowledge of the alleged hit money being kept in a bag at the OK Grocer store room: "At OK [Grocer] we have very strict controls, the store room was unlocked and anyone has access to it. I did not see any money in a bag," said Coutts.
Family and friends arrive at the Port Elizabeth High Court to support Chanelle Coutts
Video: Raahil Sain/ANA
She claimed that she had no knowledge of events that led up to the school teacher's murder: "I continuously told them [the police] but they kept on pressuring me," she said.
It is alleged that Panayiotou paid Luthando Siyoni, a bouncer from his Infinity nightclub, to hire hitman Sizwe Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde. The State alleges that Sinethemba Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband. After being driven to a remote area on the outskirts of Kwanobhule where the killing took place, the State alleges that Vumazaonke fired two shots through Jayde’s back and a final shot to her head. Vumazonke has since died. Panayiotou, Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko are on trial for conspiracy to kidnap, rob and murder Jayde on April 21, 2015.
The trial continues.