The trial of three police officers accused of killing teenager Nataniel Julies will resume on Wednesday morning in the High Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, Ekhuruleni.
The officers, who are based at the Eldorado Park Police Station, are facing charges relating to Julies’ murder in August last year.
The 16-year-old, who had down syndrome, died after allegedly being shot by the officers.
When the three officers return to court, further evidence by the state is expected to be heard. The state has wrapped up it’s cross-examination of accused No.: 3, Mandla Sithole. He was accused of having hidden crucial evidence relating to the case.
Mandla Manyatheli, the lawyer for accused No,: 2, Simon Ndyalivani, told the court that Sithole should also face a charge of accessory to murder after he allegedly hid ammunition, which Manyatheli believes could have been linked to Julies’ murder.
“I suggest to you that by virtue of your act of concealing ammunition was in fact, if anything, making you an accessory to the charge faced by accused No.: 1 and 2. And I did tell the accused, my lord, that was not just ammunition that he concealed, my lord, but it was, in fact, ammunition that was used, that ended the life of the deceased.”
However, Sithole’s legal council argued that based on the evidence, the ammunition in Sithole’s possession could in no way be linked to Julies’ murder.
“My lord, there is no evidence that, that ammunition is even linked. From the evidence that we have seen and the type of ammunition, it’s not even linked to the type of ammunition that killed the deceased. So, there can be no ground to that and now, it’s been put as a fact to the witness that he has been linked to the murder, and I would submit that there is no ground for that.”
During Sithole’s cross-examination, the court also heard that he had secretly recorded accused No. 1 and 2, allegedly plotting to cover up the murder on the day of Julies’ death.
In the recording, the two accused can be heard discussing a fictitious shootout and planting live ammunition on the scene.
Nathaniel Julies’ murder trial continues:
