DEWANI DENIES MURDER PLOT

British businessman Shrien Dewani has formally pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa in 2010.Mr Dewani, from Bristol, is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife Anni.The couple were held at gunpoint while being driven in a taxi through Gugulethu township near Cape Town.Mr Dewani, 34, who was thrown from the taxi, has told Western Cape Crown Court his “whole world came crashing down” when his wife was found shot dead.Mr Dewani faces five charges including murder and lying about the circumstances of Swedish national Anni’s death.Prosecutors argue that Mr Dewani conspired with Cape Town residents Zola Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni to kill his wife.The court heard forensic evidence that the fatal shot was delivered “at close range”, with a suggestion that Mrs Dewani might have been grabbing on to “someone or something” at the time she died.A video taken shortly after her bloodied body was found was also shown to the court.Through defence lawyer Francois Van Zyl, Mr Dewani said he had “had sexual interaction with both males and females”.“I consider myself to be bisexual,”



the court was told.“My sexual interactions with males were mostly physical experiences or email chats with people I met online or in clubs, including prostitutes,” Mr Dewani’s witness statement said.Mr Dewani said he had abnormally low levels of hormones, rendering his chances of having children slim. He said he discussed this with Anni, whom he began dating in summer 2009.The court also heard of a volatile relationship between the newlyweds, including an “angry disagreement” in May 2010.A letter sent later from Mr Dewani said “I really do love you. Want to be with you forever.”But Anni wanted to call off the wedding, claiming Mr Dewani was “too controlling”, the court heard.“We really frustrated each other, we were in love,” he said through his lawyer.The pair married later in 2010 and travelled to South Africa for their honeymoon. According to Mr Dewani, he bought flexible tickets for the trip.It was when the couple arrived in Cape Town that Mr Dewani met taxi driver Zola Tonga, who has already admitted his part in Anni’s murder.Tonga told Mr Dewani he was an “executive tour guide”, and was asked to hire a helicopter as a surprise for Anni.The driver, according to Mr Dewani, also helped to change £5,000 in order to get “a good market rate”.On the night of Anni’s death Mr Dewani was carrying “a large amount of cash”, and Tongo had texted him to ask if he still had money for the helicopter ride.Later, when they were in the taxi, Tongo pulled off the motorway and the car was stopped, the court heard.“The next thing I recall is somebody next to me, who told me to lie down. The person had a gun in his hand. He was waving the gun in the air,” Mr Dewani’s statement said.“We were both terrified and immediately complied with his demands. I was lying half on top of Anni. Another person was behind the steering wheel. I do not know where Tongo was at that stage.”Then, one of the gang asked Mr Dewani to get out of the car. When he refused, the court heard, a gun was held at his head before he got out of the car.He then tried to find help before being taken back to his hotel by police.Mr Dewani said he later met Tongo, whom he felt “sorry” for, and had planned to give him some money.The post Dewani denies honeymoon murder plot appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.Visit website