The Pretoria High Court has ruled that a statement to police by the man accused of killing seven-year-old Sheldean Human was admissible as evidence.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen said on Thursday he would only give reasons for his ruling at a later stage.
This was after Andrew Jordaan of Pretoria West took the stand on Thursday, claiming he was innocent.
He denied any knowledge of the girl’s murder, saying he was forced to make a statement and point out a manhole in the veld behind the Pretoria fresh produce market.
Jordaan claimed two policemen tortured him at the police’s Brixton offices before he made a ”brief” confession to top cop Director Piet Byleveld, and then pointed out the manhole, a park and Sheldean’s house.
Jordaan testified he was blindfolded with a dishcloth and his hands and legs tied to a chair before he was smothered with a tube and electrical shocks were applied to his private parts.
He described the Z-formed device allegedly used to shock him in detail, but later told Eksteen he had ”heard” about the device.
He claimed he had not screamed during the alleged terrible torture, because he was being smothered, and no one would have helped him in any event.
He also did not tell a magistrate or Byleveld about it, because he ”did not trust anyone”.
Prosecutor Andre Fourie put it to Jordaan that he was ”sucking his evidence out of his thumb” and that his version did not make sense at all.
Fourie said the police could not have known where Sheldean’s body was, as Jordaan claimed, because the body was only discovered about 40m away from the manhole with the help of police sniffer dogs after Jordaan pointed out the manhole.
The trial continues. — Sapa