PORT ELIZABETH - PANAYIOTOU MURDER TRIAL POSTPONED IN ORDER FOR THE DEFENCE TO CONSULT

The murder trial involving Christopher Panayiotou and his two co-accused will resume on Tuesday.

Panayiotou is accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of his schoolteacher wife, Jayde, in April last year.

On Monday the matter was postponed in order for the defence to consult.

Last week the court heard how the schoolteacher borrowed heavily for the couple’s home loan.

The couple had purchased a house in Lovemore Heights, and according to Panayiotou’s plea explanation the couple were meant to move in and spend the rest of their lives there. The house was registered in Christopher’s name.

Capitec Bank Service Consultant, Claudia Goosen, testified that both Jayde and Christopher had visited the bank on separate occasions.

On March 13, 2015 Christopher visited the bank. “The client [Christopher] was in the bank and asked to apply for a loan, he was looking to purchase a house and needed between R80,000 and R100,000. He did not qualify for the loan as minimum requirements were not met,” said Goosen.

However, Defence Advocate Terry Price disputed the amount and said his client was in the bank looking to secure a loan of R150,000.

Goosen said five days later, on March 18, Jayde visited the bank to apply for a loan for a “deposit on a house”.

“She was also in the bank to apply for a personal loan due to the fact [that] her husband did not qualify for a bond, she was granted a loan of R150,000,” Goosen said.

Goosen said that Jayde then transferred the R150,000 to her husband’s First National Bank account.

Jayde’s father Derrick Inggs gave evidence last week that he had given Jayde R40,000 to settle an outstanding amount on her car. It also emerged that Jayde’s parents together loaned her R200,000. Inggs stated that his daughter needed the money for “transfer fees”.

Inggs also testified that Christopher was like “a friend” to him and he once thought that the businessman was a “very good man”.

He fought back tears while up on the stand and appeared to be angry while he glared at his son-in-law on several occasions. Panayiotou made no eye contact.

The State claims that Christopher was under financial pressure to keep his slain wife and his lover Chanelle Coutts happy and getting a divorce from Jayde was not an option for Panayiotou because his family would disinherit him, so the State alleges the businessman had his schoolteacher wife killed instead.

It is alleged that Panayiotou paid Luthando Siyoni, a bouncer from his Infinity nightclub, to hire hitman Sizwe Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde. Vumazonke has since died.

The State alleges that Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband.

After being driven to a remote area on the outskirts of Kwanobuhle where the alleged killing took place, the State claims that Vumazaonke fired two shots through Jayde’s back and a final shot through the left side of her head.

The trial resumes on Tuesday.

VIA - algoafm.co.za