Ex Rugby Star Serial Killer
‘Send me to psychiatric ward’
Axe murders suspect says he does not want to be tried
Mar 31, 2011 10:33 PM | By NIVASHNI NAIR
A former Blue Bulls flanker says he does not want to stand trial for the grisly serial axe murders that began in Durban two weeks ago.
Instead, the 1.84m tall, brawny rugby player, who made his first court appearance yesterday, says he wants to be sent to a physiatric institution.
The 34-year-old from Umtata in the Eastern Cape, but living with his mother in Durban, is accused of killing three men at random with an axe in Lamontville, Yellowwood Park and Umbilo.
One of the victims was decapitated. His head was found in a bin in Merebank.
A man, who narrowly escaped being killed, told police that an axe-wielding man told him, “You gave my baby girl Aids”, before trying to hack him.
Police yesterday confirmed that the suspect did not have a daughter.
The man’s advocate, JP Broster, yesterday told the court that he would make an application under section 77 of the Criminal Procedure Act because his client was not mentally fit to stand trial.
He asked the court to take the him out of police custody and place him in a psychiatric facility.
However, prosecutor Martin Mntambo said the district surgeon would have to make a decision on whether the suspect needed to go for psychiatric assessment.
Broster then handed a medical report from the suspect’s private psychiatrist to the investigating officer.
The Times has established from family members that he suffers from bipolar disorder.
Heavily armed policemen guarded the court doors, allowing only journalists and court officials inside.
Police officers in civilian dress sat in the public gallery and repeatedly warned journalists not to take photographs.
No members of the suspect’s family were in court. They are believed to be concerned for their safety.
The former rugby player, dressed in a red T-shirt and black tracksuit pants, sat with folded arms before and during the proceedings.
He towered over police officers who escorted him out of the courtroom.
Labuschagne, who has investigated many of South Africa’s most heinous crimes, described the axe murder spree as “one of the more brutal ones”.
He said the suspect was calm when interviewed by police and chose not to discuss his mental health.
“A lot of people, especially on websites, feel the killer is a hero because they believe he has a child and he was avenging a rape. There is no such thing and there should be no sympathy,” he said.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday night when police raided his Yellowwood Park home.
Ex-rugby star alleged to be axe murderer
By Nkepile Mabuse, CNN
Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) — A former South African rugby star who is charged with the murder of three people in Durban on Monday will undergo mental observation, police say.
The man, who played for a top provincial team, the Blue Bulls, allegedly hacked his victims to death with an axe, decapitating one of them. Investigators say his fourth victim escaped and is helping them with their probe.
Media reports claim the player went on a killing rampage after his daughter was raped and infected with HIV. Police, however, say his motive is still under investigation.
Note from me: Probably because according other reports this guy does NOT have a daughter!
The player was nabbed in the early hours of Wednesday morning on South Africa’s East Coast. Police allegedly found his bloodied murder weapon in a dog kennel at the home where the arrest took place. Bloodied clothes and a car linked to the crimes have also been found.
Prosecutors have asked that his name not be released before he appears in a lineup. Five witnesses will be asked to identify him before his next court appearance on April 7.
“Our fear is that if his name is released, someone might be able to get hold of his picture on the internet, publish it and then destroy the credibility of our eyewitnesses, who could be accused by the defense of having seen him in the media and not in person,” prosecutor Martin Mtambo told CNN.
According to police, there have been over 100 serial killings in South Africa since 1936, with the bulk of them in the mid-1990s. Since 1996 the South African police force has had a specialized unit dealing specifically with psychologically motivated crimes.
This month the Johannesburg high courts handed down 16 life sentences to 42-year-old Jack Mogale, who was found guilty of a year-long murder spree that saw him rape 19 women and kill 16.
Lawyers for the former Blue Bulls player want the court to determine whether their client is fit to stand trial.
The team is no stranger to controversy. One of its stars, Bees Roux, goes on trial for murder in August. He is accused of beating a policeman to death last year. Team manager Ian Schwartz, who is currently in New Zealand, has refused to comment on the latest case.
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