Meghan Cremer murder accused ‘confessed after he could no longer handle cop assault’

In an about-turn, three men charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Meghan Cremer applied for bail in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, three months after deciding against applying to be released from custody.

Now Jeremy Sias, 27, the first accused who is charged with Cremer’s murder, claims police officers beat him up for three days until he “could no longer handle it”, after which officers “involuntarily obtained a statement” from him.

He attempted to compel the State to grant him access to the police docket ahead of his bail application, specifically his confession, the notes of a pointing out of the location of Cremer’s body and a medical report of an examination following his arrest.

Prosecutor Emily van Wyk opposed the application, saying it was premature and would prejudice the State’s case as the investigation was still under way.

It was refused.

He and his co-accused Shiraaj Jaftha, 34, and Charles Daniels, 39, were initially charged with the possession of Cremer’s vehicle.

Sias, a father of four, has since been charged with murder, car theft, defeating the ends of justice and aggravated robbery after the avid horse rider’s remains were found on a sand mine at a Philippi farm on the morning of August 8.

His two co-accused are charged with car theft and defeating the ends of justice.

Cremer’s remains were found after Sias allegedly pointed out where she had been dumped.

She was found with her hands bound and she had a restraint around her neck. Her body was thought to have been there for some days, police sources told News24 at the time.

She had last been seen on Saturday, August 3. She never returned to the Vaderlandsche Rietvlei Stables or work after leaving her cottage on the Philippi farm at about 18.20pm that day.

Sias, who opted not to deal with the merits of the case against him in his bail application, worked on the farm as a stable boy until his arrest.

He was apprehended two days after she went missing.

Sias alleged that he had been taken into custody in connection with a stolen car on August 5.

He was ostensibly “systematically interrogated and beaten up at 30-45 minute intervals” for three days and denied any knowledge until he “could no longer handle” the supposed assaults.

He has a pending car theft case and a prior drug possession conviction.

Jaftha, a taxi guard and father of two, and Daniels, a mechanic and father of two, deny any involvement in the incident.

The State said it had – for the first time – heard the details contained in the accused’s affidavits and requested a postponement to December 27 to follow up on the contents.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.