Honeymoon MURDER!
By: Aneira Davis, Lucas Garvey, and Gabrielle Nichols
Should Shrien Dewani be tried in the UK?
Shrien Dewani has been cleared of playing any role in the "honeymoon murder" of his wife as a South African judge threw out the case against him and ruled that the prosecution case had been "riddled with contradictions".
Judge Jeanette Traverso said evidence against Mr Dewani fell "far below" the required threshold and the only way the case could continue was if Mr Dewani implicated himself by giving evidence.
She said the testimony of the chief prosecution witness was “riddled with contradictions” and inadmissible in court.
Mr Dewani, 34, has always denied any involvement in the murder of his wife, Anni Dewani, in November 2010 but was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, and defeating the ends of justice.
"Firstly we have three people who have been convicted in this case, ideally you would want to have all conspirators all tried together at the same time, but unfortunately that could not happen, not because of the NPA or anyone else, but because of the fact that we could not extradite Mr. Dewani in time so that he could be tried with the other three accused," Mncube said.
The killing took place during a taxi ride through a township on the edge of Cape Town, just over two weeks after the couple's wedding.
The taxi driver, Zola Tongo, confessed within weeks of the bride's death that he had hired two men to kill her. In a plea deal with South African authorities, he said Dewani paid him to carry out the killing and to make it look as though the couple were the victims of a carjacking.
Tongo was subsequently sentenced to 18 years in prison for his part in the killing. His two accomplices also received lengthy sentences for their role in the crime. One of them died of brain cancer in October,
An indictment in the case said he faced charges including conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder and kidnapping, the South African Press Association reported.
Dewani, from Bristol in southwest England, said his wife was the victim of a carjacking and denied any involvement in the killing.