/ 17 October 2007

Court hears of Najwa’s ‘unique’ voice

Najwa Petersen, widow of slain entertainer Taliep, has a ”unique” voice that family friend Waleed Ajouhaar instantly recognised when he heard it on tape, the Wynberg Regional Court heard on Wednesday.

Ajouhaar was questioned by prosecutor Shireen Riley, defence counsel Herbert Raubenheimer and Magistrate Robert Henny about the taped voice and his reaction to it.

He testified in support of Petersen’s second bail application, during which a petition with thousands of signatures in support of Petersen’s release on bail was handed to the court.

Evidence is that Ajouhaar bought the taped recording for R2 000 from fraud convict Riaan Radyn, only to discover after the purchase that the tape was blank — except for the two seconds containing Petersen’s voice.

Ajouhaar had hoped the tape would be proof in court of serious irregularities that allegedly happened while police were still questioning Petersen and her co-accused about the murder.

Henny asked him: ”Are two seconds enough to recognise a voice? Two seconds are like … one … two.”

Ajouhaar replied: ”She’s got a unique voice. I was so excited when I heard about the tape that I just wanted to know if it was for real.

”I thought Radyn would play the tape for longer than two seconds, but he did not — he just enticed me. What was said on the tape I do not know, but the voice I do know.

”I was not concentrating on what Najwa said on the tape, because it was too quick.”

Ajouhaar said he’d never had any prior dealings with Radyn.

He said: ”Radyn kept sending me SMS messages, and in one message he said he wanted to deal with me through SMS messages.”

Riley asked him if he at any stage had doubts about Radyn.

He replied: ”No — I believed him until Monday this week.”

Henny asked: ”You believed him until it cost you R2 000?”

Ajouhaar said he still believed in Radyn, ”but I just think maybe he’s hiding something”.

Riley asked: ”Do you believe the Petersen family has been scammed?”

He said he did not, but that he would not have paid the R2 000 had there been nothing on the tape in question. — Sapa