There were heated exchanges in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Wednesday when Jayde Panayiotou’s sister, Toni Inggs, testified in the murder trial of her brother-in-law Christopher Panyiotou who stands accused of orchestrating his wife’s murder.
Inggs was being cross-examined by Advocate Terry Price who accused Toni of posting terrible comments on Facebook about the defence team, as well as the Panayiotou family.
To murmurs in the public gallery, Price said that he had a lot of sympathy for the Inggs family as they had suffered a “great loss†with Jayde’s murder.
But Price said that he was referred to as a “pig†and he did not understand why Toni Inggs would post hateful comments about Christopher’s mother Fanoula.
At this point, Inggs angrily told Judge Dayalin Chetty she had been previously called “f.......ng stupid†by Price.
Inggs said that she was angry and she wanted justice for her sister, Jayde.
“I want him [Christopher] to be put away, my sister was murdered…the Panayiotou family treats us [Inggs family] like the enemy, they show no remorse or compassion, since the day Christopher was arrested,†said Jayde’s younger sister.
Inggs was testifying on the second day of the trial against Panayiotou and his two co-accused, Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko. The three men are accused of murdering school teacher Jayde on April 21 last year.
An emotional Inggs told the court that she had loved Christopher as a brother and “sadly†defended him at the time she realised the couple were going through “unhappiness†in the marriage.
“I was aware of unhappiness and I did speak to Jayde on a few occasions, she was incredibly lonely, Jayde and Christopher lived separate lives,†she said.
Inggs alluded to the fact that she had regretted defending her brother-in-law by telling Jayde “things would get better†and that “Chris was working hardâ€.
Inggs said that Jayde was “basically forbidden†to touch Christopher’s phone and while she was not aware of any extra marital affair, she questioned Christopher’s privacy policy with his wife.
Price went on to highlight several photoss posted on Jayde’s Instagram account that showed the couple being “happily marriedâ€.
He accused Inggs of only showing investigating officer Kanna Swanepoel the negative aspects of the couple’s relationship.
It is alleged that Christopher Panayiotou paid Luthando Siyoni, a bouncer from his Infinity nightclub, to hire alleged triggerman, Sizwe Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde. The State alleges that Sinethemba Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband. Siyoni has since turned state witness while Vumazonke has died.
Sibeko was the last suspect to be arrested, 15 months after the murder, and has apparently been linked through cellphone mapping to being present outside Jayde’s complex in the days before her murder. However, his exact role in the events is still unclear.
– Raahil Sain, African News Agency (ANA)
