Video drama kicks off O’Sullivan kidnap trial

Forensic consultant Paul O’Sullivan and former colleague Melissa Naidoo’s kidnapping trial in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court began with a concession from the State over the use of video and audio material yesterday.

The recordings were allegedly made when O’Sullivan interviewed former Bobroff Attorneys employee and complainant Cora van der Merwe over material she had allegedly been feeding to people outside the firm.

Prosecutor advocate Jabulani Mlotshwa said he would not contest the three video segments and audio material being presented in court, as long as the defence proved their authenticity when it presented its case.

However, the defence’s case took a nasty turn when it was revealed the videos that had been shown in court were only copies as the originals had gone missing.

Magistrate Ndivhuwo Sethusha put her foot down and refused to let defence advocate Zirk Pansegrouw continue questioning Van der Merwe on the video footage which had been shown.

The footage was filmed at O’Sullivan’s offices and showed Van der Merwe talking on her cellphone to her legal representative, being allowed to leave the conference room, and joking about needing wine to steady herself.

Van der Merwe has previously testified O’Sullivan yelled at her. However, in the two short clips shown before Sethusha shut it down, there appeared no evidence of this.

Pansegrow put it to Van der Merwe she in fact looked relaxed and felt safe. However, Van der Merwe said it could be seen on the video she was holding her stomach and was “extremely stressed, I wanted to vomit I was so stressed”.

The abandoning of the key video evidence may not be a calamity for O’Sullivan’s defence as he still has the original audio recording.

Pansegrouw said in court he had simply omitted to tell Mlotshwa the video recording was a copy. This didn’t appease Sethusha who wiped any cross-examination of Van der Merwe from the record until the videos’ authenticity could be proved.

O’Sullivan and Naidoo are accused of kidnapping Van der Merwe in order extort a statement or information from her while they were investigating a leak of information from the chambers of Ronald Bobroff & Partners.

They have denied the charges. The case continues tomorrow.