Cape Town - The man accused of killing 12-year-old Ashwin Jones was on Tuesday grilled by the prosecution as he maintained his innocence during cross-examination.
Enrico Slamat, 34, and Jonathan Solomons, 43, are on trial for Jones’s murder after a fatal shooting that took place in Uitsig on May 31, 2019.
A seemingly dazed Slamat was being cross-examined by State advocate Kepler Uys for his alleged involvement in the murder.
Slamat had testified that he was at home all day with his pregnant girlfriend on the day of the incident. He further testified that he was not at the scene when the incident took place, and had no knowledge of it.
When Uys questioned him about the age of his child, Slamat said the child was born in December 2020.
This led to Uys saying that it was physically impossible for the child to be born more than a year after the mother was pregnant.
Uys gave Slamat multiple opportunities to correct himself, before Slamat altered his version to say he had been mistaken and that the child was already a year old in December 2020.
Uys then told Slamat that he was lying and changing his story while he was on the stand.
Slamat also testified that he had been bribed by a police officer, which Uys said had not been addressed by his defence counsel, advocate Salim Banderker, when the police officer testified in court.
Slamat said he wasn’t aware that he could even address his counsel during proceedings.
Uys said: “Now, sir, that is a blatant lie because just yesterday you tried to speak to your advocate when court adjourned, so how can you now say you didn’t know, but you tried yesterday, so you are lying.”
Slamat and Solomons have been charged with six counts of murder, attempted murder and charges related to the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.