POLOKWANE – Rameez Patel did not see the significance of handing over to the police the clothes he was wearing on the day of his wife’s murder in 2015.
This week, the court heard in testimony that Patel, who stands accused of Fatima Patel’s murder, only handed in the jacket five days after the day of the crime even though the police requested it the same day. Still wet after apparently being washed, the jacket and the socks he was wearing were handed over.
Forensic evidence presented in court confirmed that washing of the jacket would have diminished any possible gunshot residue or forensic evidence.
Responding to a question, Patel said he did not see the significance of handing over these items of clothing, as he did in fact hand in the top and the pair of trousers he was wearing on the day of the crime.
Read more: ‘I didn’t kill my wife’ – Rameez Patel
The matter of a cricket bat that was found in a ceiling was also highlighted and after being asked about it, Patel said the house had two storage compartments in the ceiling in which sporting equipment was being stored. He was asked why he did not previously tell the court about these compartments.
Evidence presented by Patel’s brother, Razeen Patel, suggested that the accused had changed clothes three times on the day of the murder and that he allegedly confessed to the crime. Rameez maintained that he took a shower twice on the day: in the morning and later, after he held the deceased’s body when he found her in a pool of blood at their house.
He said the reason he then showered was of a religious nature, as he and the family needed to pray and he had to cleanse himself. The case was postponed to 7 to 16 July for further hearing, with the defence indicated that they may call two more witnesses to the stand.
Read more: Patel back in court for his mother’s murder in August
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