Pretoria - Alleged assaults and threats by members of the police forced the Brooklyn man on trial for his wife’s disappearance to make various statements.
This was according to his legal counsel Piet Pistorius as the trial against Prem Emmanuel Basdeo continued in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Friday. He is charged with murder, perjury and defeating the ends of justice. His wife Dawn Basdeo, 57, was reported missing on June 8, 2018, and is believed to be dead.
Pistorius indicated Basdeo would be challenging the admissibility of the statements made to the police as he made them under duress. He said Basdeo had been assaulted by police since he was arrested on June 11, 2018.
He said Basdeo was also willing to testify to the courts of threats made to his sons' lives. The interrogations, Pistorius said, had left Basdeo so exhausted that he even feared to confide in his attorney at the time.
Captain Jacques Loock of the Hawks testified of a pointing out during an exercise he conducted with Basdeo shortly after his arrest.
Loock insisted he did not note any injuries on Basdeo before the pointing out exercise.
Pistorius also questioned the behaviour of Dawn’s brother, Robin Pillay and other family members.
He alleged attempts by him to give answers to the family were met with hostility and it was clear they were suspicious of Basdeo.
This Pillay refuted as he said he had no strained relationship with Basdeo.
The latter is out on bail.