Murder-accused Johannes Christiaan de Jager did not co-operate after his arrest, an investigating officer told the Western Cape High Court.
|||Cape Town - Murder-accused Johannes Christiaan de Jager did not co-operate after his arrest, an investigating officer told the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
Captain Michael Volkwyn said he was a warrant officer at the time he arrested De Jager, at his workshop in Parow, Cape Town, on June 3, 2008.
De Jager is charged with the rape and murder of 18-year-old prostitute Hiltina Alexander, whose body was found in May that year.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges last week.
His version was that he met a man named Johan that weekend, picked up Alexander and brought her to Johan's sister's flat. He said he did not have sex with her but drank with Johan. He claimed he never saw the two again.
Volkwyn testified he contacted De Jager a week after his release on bail.
“I made contact with the accused so he can show me the address where he says Johan stays. Unfortunately, I did not get any co-operation from the accused,” he testified.
“The two times I was at his mother's house, he was not present. If I called him on his cellphone, he would tell me he has things to do and he cannot wait for me.”
Sakkie Maartens asked if his client knew the officer was planning to visit his mother. Volkwyn replied that he made arrangements with De Jager and told him he was on his way.
His two attempts took place over two days. Maartens asked if he tried to meet De Jager at his workshop after that. Volkwyn said he did not.
“After two attempts, you did nothing to get information about the flat out of him?” the lawyer asked.
Volkwyn conceded he did not make any further attempts. He also conceded that De Jager was prepared to show him the flat, but did not follow through.
The court heard Volkwyn was acting branch commander at the time and used his initiative to take on the case, instead of assigning it to another officer.
He was promoted and had nothing to do with the case after September 2008.
Maartens commented that nothing was followed up from September that year until June 2011.
It was then that the Atlantis Regional Court instructed police officers to follow up on the flat, which resulted in De Jager pointing the dwelling out.
De Jager has also pleaded not guilty to killing Charmaine Mare, 18, who spent her holiday with him and his girlfriend in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, in January this year. He said she lost her balance, hit the rim of a bath and never regained consciousness. He panicked and hid her body in a drain.
He pleaded guilty to cutting off her limbs to fit the torso in the drain, and to dumping the limbs in separate areas.
Sapa