Cape Town -
The police ministry has won an appeal against Fred van der Vyfer, who successfully sued the State for maliciously prosecuting him for the murder of his girlfriend Inge Lotz.
The Supreme Court of Appeal on Thursday overturned an earlier finding by the Cape Town High Court that the ministry could be held liable for damages following the prosecution of Van der Vyfer for Lotz's murder in 2005. He was acquitted in November 2007.
The appeal court found Van der Vyfer failed to prove malicious intent on the part of police officers investigating the crime. It set aside the earlier ruling with costs.
Lotz was found beaten and stabbed to death in her Stellenbosch flat in 2005. - Sapa