South Africa - Martin, 55, Theresa, 54, Rudi van Breda, 22, murdered, 26 Jan 2015 #1

[JudgeJudi]

Good morning! First witness today is Jonathan Olifant.

He is a policeman at the criminal record centre in Beaufort West. At the time of the murders he was at Worcester criminal record centre.

From 27 - 31 January 2015, he was at 12 Goske Street to find fingerprints. He found 53 prints.

Olifant says usable prints are when you can make an identification with it, unusable is when one isn't possible.

Unusable means all seven points needed to identify print are not available.

He had Henri and rest of family's prints.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/live-van-breda-axe-murder-trial-day-14-20170518

 

[Tortoise]

Update on progress of the livestreaming of the trial:

Murder-accused Henri van Breda is expected to challenge a ruling allowing Media24 permission to livestream his trial in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

For some reason I'm getting page not found.

Let's see if this link works

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sca-to-hear-van-breda-media-coverage-matter-20170518

 

[Tortoise]

Re- fingerprints - it's so convenient for Henri that he managed to get the axe away from the attacker and hold it, and that he held the knife to pull it out of his side.

Please let common sense and justice prevail. Please.

 

[JudgeJudi]

15 people's prints found. Family, two domestic workers and gardener's prints were confirmed. James Reade-Jahn's (Marli's ex-boyfriend) prints were also found.

On knife, right thumb print of Henri on the blade.

If knife point points down, the thumb print pointed up.

The family, 2 domestic workers, gardener and Reade-Jahn's (Marli's ex-boyfriend) prints were found in house.

A list of 15 people's prints were given to him who had been involved in crimes before at the Estate. Their prints were not found in the house.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 2m2 minutes ago

Oliphant found no fingerprints on axe.

@TimesLIVE

(But HvB said he grabbed the axe off the attacker, that he swung the axe and hit the attacker with the head instead of the sharp end, so HvB wiped the axe or the attacker did before he left, even though he wore gloves?!) Phfft!!

 

[JudgeJudi]

He checked boundary wall for prints, with naked eye and special light. Then sprayed chemical which would give a brown/purple colour if there is a fingerprint. No prints or proof of activity found on the wall.

He did this in the morning, afternoon, and twice the following day. Nothing found.

No fingerprints were found on the handle of axe.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

[If HvB's thumb print was on the blade and no other fingerprints (HvB said the attacker wore gloves) it's also possible that HvB armed himself with the axe and tucked the handle of the knife into the back of his sleep shorts, thereby enabling him to grab the handle]

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams 3m3 minutes ago

Adv Botha cross-examines Olifant - asks him about the walls which he investigate - looking for finger prints
if someone had gloves on? O-it depends sometimes your prints can go through the glove if they sweat.
fact that you didnt pick up finger prints on the wall doesn't exclude the possibility that someone with gloves may have jumped over the wall? yes


@CapeTownEtc #vanbreda

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 2m2 minutes ago @TimesLIVE

Galloway ends her questioning and defence adv Botha takes over. Talks about wall outside. Can't rule out gloved intruders jumping over and not leaving any fingerprints. Oliphant agrees.

 

[JudgeJudi]

[If anyone wore gloves that night, it was HvB]

If someone climbs over wall and touched it, there would be a mark to show activity.

Botha now cross examining.

Botha says the wall wasn't a smooth texture, like an inside wall. If someone wore gloves, you wouldn't pick it up?

Olifant says you can sweat through a wool glove, but not plastic.

If person didn't sweat enough, no proof will be picked up. Botha says it doesn't exclude that gloved person could have climbed over wall. Olifant agrees.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams 3m3 minutes ago

@CapeTownEtc #vanbreda

You found his finger prints on various areas around the house, you found marli's finger prints at Henri's patio door
B-fact that you find people who live in the house's finger prints doesn't mean anything? Correct
B- you get usable and not usable prints. what is negative? O-print 19 is negative. To show the court that there isn't a print on something
Whose finger print did you find in exhibit which was n Rudi's room - it was unidentified person. It could have been
a friend, visitor, a lot of possibilities of whom that may have belonged to
You found finger prints on the frame of bathroom door- I couldn't identify who that was
mentions another instance of a finger print he identified but didnt know who it belonged to
On table in kitchen you found a finger print but couldn't say whose it was- yes
Marli's finger print you had a set of finger print samples from her? Yes
so my elimination included Marli's finger prints
in the kitchen you found a palm print you couldn't identify. B-could it have been new, the domestic worker? yes

 

[JudgeJudi]

Correction to #1247

thereby enabling him to grab the handle

should read "grab the tip of the blade".

Sorry, trying to do 3 things at once.

 

[JudgeJudi]

An unidentified print was found on the patio door of Henri's room. Olifant says it could be a visitor's print.

Another print found outside frame of door to bathroom. Someone touched, but print not identified.

Other prints also found which were not identified, including two on kitchen table. In the kitchen, a palm print was found. Couldn't be confirmed whose this was.

Thought to be a fresh print, as domestic worker had cleaned there that Monday.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams 1m1 minute ago

On a whiskey bottle you found palm print and finger print you couldn't identify? Yes
Same on a bottle of rum which was in a cupboard, you found finger prints in all different directions unknown - yes

@CapeTownEtc #vanbreda

(Why is Botha asking all the questions, isn't Galloway suppose to prove guilt and Botha object, he's working too hard to prove innocence, I haven't witnessed a trial so obvious before)

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams 2m2 minutes ago
@CapeTownEtc #vanbreda

what was used to get the fingerprints off the axe? no. Did you see the axe? Yes produce it in court
its heavy? Yes, would you not expect the axe to have finger prints on it? It depends what the person had on

the state is saying that my client didnt have gloves on,that he attacked his whole family with that axe would you expect that at least there would be one finger print? As an expert what do you think? it depends, he won't say that you would for certain.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Johnny Walker bottle also had a fingerprint not identified.

Olifant says these were bottles inside a cupboard. Confirms unidentified.

A number of unidentified fingerprints also found on the car.

Botha says State claims that he touched that axe and attacked people with it.

If he handled it, wouldn't you expect to find a print? His print is on the knife?

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Tracey Stewart‏ @Traceyams 51s51 seconds ago
@CapeTownEtc #vanbreda

if my client held the axe for a long time is there more chance his finger prints would appear on the axe? No the time that he holds the axe is not relevant

 

[Interested Bystander]

I think I was confused about where the abdomen stab wounds were, thinking they must have been below the waistband of his shorts, because the report mentions 'toward the pubis symphysis', but I see now it probably means higher up but in that general direction. Mind you waistbands are generally worn far below the waist these days.

It also says the widest part of either of the stab wounds was 1.7cm (17mm), so looking at the knife I'm thinking it can't have gone deeper than where the blade is 1.7cm wide. My estimate is that this would not be 50mm along the blade, or whatever the defence said was their doctor's estimate of the wound depth. To go that deep the wound would have been wider. There aren't any measurements with the knife photo but it looks like a medium-large kitchen knife if that is an A4 envelope it's on.

It's amazing that the attacker managed to hold an axe and a knife.

Tortoise, I missed the pubis symphysis comment. That means very low in the central area of the abdomen as you obviously know. It could mean the knife penetrated the shorts but I am surprised this was not stated in court although we know we are only getting a very sketchy picture of what happened. It is so frustrating. It might help if a few more photos were released.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Hang on, HvB said he wrestled the axe from the intruder. His prints must have been on the axe.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Hang on, HvB said he wrestled the axe from the intruder. His prints must have been on the axe.

Botha has forgotten HvB's story. Galloway should pick him up on that!

 

[JudgeJudi]

Olifant says the axe was sent to fingerprint lab. He can't testify on their behalf.

If someone wore gloves, we wouldn't find it, Botha asks.

No, Olifant says.

[And if HvB wore gloves, that's why there are NO fingerprints from an intruder or HvB. Botha said the State claims that he (the intruder) attacked people with it. NO, HvB said he wrestled the axe from the attacker in his Plea Explanation ]

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...ay-14-20170518