Bruno Bronn was being harassed by his sexual partner because he wanted to end their relationship, a witness says.
|||Cape Town - Cape Town nightclub owner Bruno Bronn was being harassed by his sexual partner because he wanted to end their relationship, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday.
Dawid Human, who worked as a DJ at the gay night club The Bronx said Bronn had told him before his death that he wanted to end it with Frederick Willem John Coetzer, a bouncer at the club.
Coetzer, Fareez Allie and Achmat Toffa have pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder and aggravated armed robbery.
They are accused of killing Bronn, 50, in his Green Point home on February 7, 2012. According to the indictment, he was strangled and died of suffocation.
A fourth suspect, Kurt Erispe, has become a State witness.
Bronn visited Human's flat two days before his death and confided in him about Coetzer's behaviour.
“This (visit) was very unusual. (He was) traumatised and scared. He wasn't his normal self. He wasn't relaxed. He looked very nervous,” Human said.
Human said they should go out for a coffee, but they chatted at home instead and he left soon afterwards.
Arnold Nel, for Allie, asked why Bronn was traumatised.
“He told me he wanted to get away from his house because he's starting to get scared of John. He's harassing him. He said he didn't want to take no for an answer as such and he wanted money.”
Bronn had said Coetzer would constantly ring his doorbell at 3am or 4am and he would eventually let him in only because he did not want to disturb the neighbours.
Human said Bronn had found Coetzer on a set of steps one day and Coetzer told him: “You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily”.
Henry van Niekerk, for Toffa, asked if Bronn had mentioned what Coetzer had wanted the money for. Human said he did not know.
The Bronx closed down about a week or two before Bronn's death and the manager had asked Coetzer to leave the club a month or two months before that.
He said Bronn continued to pay Coetzer small amounts of money for occasional maintenance.
“He did some maintenance work. On some occasions, he asked for money and said he did the job but it was never done and I had to do it,” Human said.
The trial continues.
Sapa