The owner of Cape Town’s Teazers nightclub, charged with shooting dead a street child for breaking into his car, told police he had thrown the firearm into the sea, the Cape High Court heard on Monday.
Police inspector Kenneth Speed told the court this information turned out to be false, but it had nevertheless caused him to instruct police divers to retrieve the missing firearm from the seabed at a deserted beach.
Before Judge Dumisane Zondi and two assessors is Michael Jackson, who has pleaded not guilty to four charges — murder, the assault of a second street child with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, the handling of a firearm whilst under the influence of an intoxicating substance and pointing the firearm at the second street child.
However, Jackson has pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice — the charge relating to the missing firearm.
Speed told the court Jackson at first claimed his firearm had been stolen from his car during the burglary that led to the death of the street child in May last year.
He said Jackson changed his story about the theft of the firearm from his car after realising he could be jailed for the negligent loss of his firearm.
After Jackson’s arrest for the murder, Jackson planned a bail application, but police told his lawyer they would oppose his release on bail until he produced the missing firearm or at least informed the police what he had done with it.
It was at this stage that Jackson claimed to have thrown the firearm into the sea, Speed told the court.
Speed said he had taken over the case from a colleague, who had given him details of both the alleged murder as well as the alleged break-in into Jackson’s car.
Speed said he had introduced himself to Jackson at the Cape Town central police station.
At the time, Jackson had been with his lawyer, who had on Jackson’s behalf informed Speed about the missing firearm.
Speed told the court: ”The attorney told me he only had to inform me of three facts about the missing firearm — the make of the firearm, its serial number and the time and date when the loss was discovered.
”I was given the licence for the firearm, and was informed that the date and time of discovery of the loss was the same as the break-in into the car.”
The hearing continues on Tuesday. — Sapa