Van Breda loses application, decides not to testify
27 September 2017
Cape Town – Judge Siraj Desai has ruled that Henri Van Breda will testify first in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act should he decide to take to the witness stand, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.
The defence’s application to allow him to testify last was dismissed, with Desai ruling that he had not shown good cause why the court should deviate from standard procedure.
The defence applied for their expert witnesses to testify first before Van Breda’s version of what happened the night his parents and brother were murdered is tested.
Their reasons included that it made logistical and financial sense as their experts would have to be flown in and that it was unclear for how long Van Breda would testify if he chose to do so.