Trial within a trial in Joshlin Smith case expected to reach conclusion on Thursday
Legal teams are set to finish arguments on Thursday for the court to decide whether confession statements made by Steveno van Rhyn and co-accused Jacquen Appollis can be used as evidence in the trial.
Jacquen Appollis and Stevano van Rhyn, two of the accused in the disappearance of Joshlin Smith, in the Western Cape High Court sitting at the Saldanha Bay Multi-Purpose Centre on 11 April 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
CAPE TOWN - A trial-within-a-trial in the kidnapping and human trafficking case related to the disappearance of Joshlin Smith is expected to reach its conclusion on Thursday.
Accused number two, Steveno van Rhyn, was accused of lying to the court on Wednesday while being questioned by a State prosecutor.
Legal teams are set to finish arguments on Thursday for the court to decide whether confession statements made by van Rhyn and co-accused Jacquen Appollis can be used as evidence in the trial.
Van Rhyn and Appollis claim the statements were made under duress because they were allegedly tortured by police to make the confessions.
Van Rhyn will be in the dock again to answer questions about allegedly being tortured by police before his arrest in March 2024.
State prosecutor, Zelda Swanepoel, asked Van Rhyn to demonstrate how he was allegedly tortured at the Sea Border offices in Saldanha Bay.
Using two chairs, Van Rhyn showed the court how he was told to lay on his back and bring his knees to his chest, before being hung from an aluminium bar in-between two chairs.
After the demonstration and looking at the height of the chairs, Swanepoel told the court it would be nearly impossible for the accused to be lifted from the ground as he described.
Swanepoel will continue questioning van Rhyn before the trial-within-a-trial reaches its conclusion.
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