The State is continuing to call witnesses in the culpable homicide trial of Omesh Ramnarain at the Durban Regional Court.
State Prosecutor Herman Mouton called Warrant Officer Bongani Gasa from the South African Police Services accident combating unit to testify about his findings at the accident scene.
Ramnarain allegedly drove his car into two cyclists, Jared Dwyer and Richard da Silva on February 7th in 2014.
In his evidence, Gasa said the point of impact had been in the emergency lane.
Defense advocate Murray Pittman went to great lengths to question Gasa on his selection of the crime scene pictures to include in his report, alleging that Gasa had manufactured evidence against Ramnarain due to a bias.
Pittman probed Gasa about a stone on the floor of the passenger side of Ramnarain’s vehicle, and whether this could have led to the smashed windscreen.
Gasa replied that the stone could not have shattered the windscreen to such an extent. Gasa’s report also details that Ramnarain looked shocked, had red eyes and was slurring.
New details have emerged from the defense about Ramnarain’s passenger, 19 year-old Shannon Pillay.
It’s the first time that the court has heard confirmation of a passenger since the incident.
Only Ramnarain was arrested at the scene.
Coincidentally, state witness Mirelle Gerhard testified that she saw two “youngish” men running away from the crash scene.
Gerhard is part of the Kings Park Cycling Club and had been just ahead of Dwyer and da Silva on that morning cycle two years ago.
She told the court that she heard a loud bang and within seconds says she saw da Silva’s body lying on the ground.
She used the words “starfish” and “rag-doll” to describe the appearance of da Silva’s body when it hit the ground.
During this time, da Silva’s mother, brother and sister who have been in court all week looked to each other for comfort, clearly pained by Gerhard’s evidence.
A Durban runner was also called by the State to shed some light on what he saw that morning.
Craig Anderson was running on the Athlone bridge over the M4 when he says he saw two vehicles a black VW gold and a beige Mini Cooper pass him at high speed.
Anderson says “what made me turn around was the noise of skidding, of them racing each other, it was the speed at which they were travelling.”
Under cross examination Anderson admitted that he could not be sure whether the black VW golf that he saw was indeed Ramnarain’s.
Ramnarain, a 33-year-old plumber from Phoenix, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He claims to have had only four ciders at about 11 o’ clock the night before the incident.
He further claims that Dwyer and da Silva must have been in the left-hand lane and not in the emergency lane.
