Defence in Miguel Louw trial accuses juvenile witness of lying
The Durban High Court on Wednesday heard that there are
inconsistencies in the statement a juvenile witness gave police a day after
Durban boy, Miguel Louw went missing and the account he gave while in the
witness stand.
Mahomed Ebrahim is on trial, he is accused of the murder of ten-year-old Miguel.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
READ: Witness tells court man paid pupil R10 to find Miguel Louw
On Tuesday, the 14-year-old witness told the court that on the day Miguel was last seen, a man arrived at the gate of their Sydenham school and offered another schoolboy money to go find Miguel.
The witness told the court on Wednesday, that Ebrahim was the man at the school gate that day.
During cross-examination, defence attorney, Jay Naidoo questioned the young witness on the clothes he claims the man that came to their school was wearing on the day Miguel disappeared.
Naidoo told court the child has given different statements regarding the colour of the man’s trousers.
He also asked the boy why he didn’t tell police that the man offered a pupil money to find Miguel. The boy replied that he wasn't asked.
When asked what kind of questions he was asked by police, the witness told the court, police asked him if he had met Miguel’s parents.
He says, he told police he had not met Miguel's parents in response to that question.
Naidoo then accused the boy of not being truthful, reminding him that he told the court on Tuesday that he met Miguel’s mother on the day of her son's disappearance.
During testimony on Tuesday, the boy told the court that Miguel's mother, Raylene Louw, came to the school and asked him who had picked up Miguel.
The boy says he told Louw that an Indian man had come looking for Miguel. He told the court that Louw then took out her phone and showed a picture, and he confirmed it was the same man.
