The Nelspruit Regional Court was forced to postpone JJ Peters’s murder trail after his lawyer from Legal Aid South Africa did not show up during his appearance on September 19.
The witnesses were not impressed with the postponement because the matter has not been not dealt with and they are always in court when they are summonsed.
The State was ready to commence with the trial, but the presiding officer said they cannot precede without Peters’s legal representative in court, therefore, the matter was postponed to October 1.
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On August 5, Peters’s defence told the court that when he was assessed in May 2023, he was found to fit to stand trial. They had the report, but according to his attorney, it is outdated now and it cannot be used in court.
“When I consulted Peters about the case as we were preparing for a trial, he told us that he could not remember anything that happened on the day that he allegedly committed the crime. That is why we requested he undergo another mental assessment. It wouldn’t be fair to put him on trial if he is not mentally fit,” said Peters’s advocate.
ALSO READ: Nelspruit Regional Court postponed the JJ Peters case again
While the presiding officer in the case dismissed the defence’s request, stating that the mental assessment was not outdated and the report indicates he is mentally fit to stand trial, he also said the case has been dragging for a long time and the court needs to finish it for the sake of the witnesses who have to travel to appear in court every time.
He was arrested for allegedly killing his grandmother, Sannie Strydom Kilmister (68) on February 28, 2022.
