Joshlin Smith trial: Judge questions Appollis about why he added certain details to confession statement
Accused number one, Jacquen Appollis, alleges that he was tortured before police detectives told him what to say in the statement.
Jacquen Appollis, accused number one in the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, was cross-examined in the Western Cape High Court sitting at the Saldanha Bay Multi-purpose Centre on 15 April 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
SALDANHA BAY - A high court judge questioned one of the accused in the Joshlin Smith trial on Tuesday about why he added certain details to his confession statement.
Accused number one, Jacquen Appollis, alleges that he was tortured before police detectives told him what to say in the statement.
Legal teams are arguing for the court to decide whether confession statements from Appollis and co-accused Stevano van Rhyn can be used as evidence in the trial.
Appollis, Van Rhyn and Joshlin's mother, Kelly Smith, are charged with kidnapping and human trafficking for the child's disappearance.
Judge Nathan Erasmus took Appollis to task on Tuesday for allegedly adding details to his confession statement.
Appollis claims police detectives told him to implicate himself, Van Rhyn, Smith and a woman in Middelpos known as "Maka Lima" for Joshlin's disappearance.
Erasmus questioned Appollis about why he felt the need to add extra details to his statement.
"Why did you find it necessary to add all those details on the fly?" Judge Erasmus asked.
"I had to make it sound like a story, my lord," Appollis said.
The State wrapped up its cross-examination of Appollis on Tuesday before Van Rhyn took the stand to testify.