Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani was ”too ill” to attend his extradition hearing in London yesterday – in which lawyers were due to outline his motive for killing her.
Businessman Dewani, 31, is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife Anni, 28 during their honeymoon in Cape Town on November 13.
South African authorities are seeking to have Mr Dewani returned to the country to stand trial for the alleged contract killing of the stunning Swedish engineer.
He has previously fought attempts to extradite him but friends recently revealed he is considering travelling back to the country voluntarily.
Mr Dewani’s spokesman Max Clifford said his client was unwell and would not attend the hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He added that Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, did not need to attend the hearing as it was just a 20-minute formality to fix a date for a future hearing.
No members of Mr Dewani’s family were likely to attend the court, he said.
Swedish Anni was shot when the couple the taxi were travelling in was hijacked in the Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town on November 13.
Shrien and taxi driver Zola Tongo were ejected from the taxi before Anni was driven away.
She was later found dead in the back of the abandoned cab with a bullet wound to her neck.
Shuttle bus driver Zola Tongo, 31, was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year in a plea bargain arrangement.
He claimed Mr Dewani paid him R16,000 (£1,400) to stage a hijacking, along with Xolile Mnguni and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, who are in custody in South Africa.
Mr Dewani will be represented by Taswell Papier, who once represented Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, on sexual assault allegations made in Cape Town.
Please come back , to face of what you did .YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE!!!!
THIS IS THE HUMAN BLOOD !!!EVERYTHING WILL BE KNWN BY THE WORLD
Everyone is innocent until proved guilty.
Maybe he will not get a fair trial and maybe he is traumatised, and if he is innocent he has my fully sympathy, but he isn’t dead with a bullet through his neck. His daughter, cousin, neice, sister is not gone. I could not imagine that. But his wife is gone. He is alive and Anni is dead. He didn’t save her when she was alive, so now he must make amends and respect her memory, let her rest in peace and let her family grieve.
this guy definitely did it, why would the robbers let him go? surely they would have shot him before they took his wife as he could identify them! It’s common sense, the guy is guilty and should be given a life sentence.
Hope his family are enjoying the legal costs of fighting would looks to be like a long and drawn out extradition case (appeals for sure).
There are so many questions that Shrienbaba needs to provide answers for – there is a case to answer in the Cape Town law courts.
May Anni Rest in Peace
Mindboggling stuff …..I wonder why you lot of crime numbed south africans dont just set him alight and have a giggle about it like you did to a good many Zimbabweans a year or so ago.
I mean …why bother with a trial.
Easy to see why every other SAfrican is trying to get ouf the place.