Oscar Pistorius: gruesome pictures

I saw this morning on the Huffington Post UK blog-site photographs of the toilet where Reeva Steenkamp was shot. If these images are in fact from that scene, there is a lot to give account about. News24 mentions that the Pistorius legal team already got onto this and requested answers from the police. Of course the police is still looking into this and we cannot expect them to come up with a cogent answer so soon - if ever! It is noteworthy that,...

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Bloodnose for the National Prosecuting Authority

The National Prosecuting Authority got a blood nose yesterday. One of the lessons to be learnt form this fiasco is that if you prosecute a senior advocate with the likes of Glynnis Breytenbach, you should do your homework exceptionally well. Let's hope that the authorities will listen. Go to iol.co.za and search her name or National Prosecuting Authori...

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Accused/suspects: not enough evidence

A suspect, Johnathan Davids walked out of Bredasdorp Magistrate's Court after the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew charges of inter alia rape against him. The main reason, so it seems to me, is that there was not enough evidence against him. If that is the case, so be ...

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This a small part of my law library - it was a childhood dream to have something like this and to sit and do my own research. Yes - I do have to resort to outside sources as well, but it is the rare occasion. I have built it up since I started practising 1979....

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  The law can be a closed book. Knowledge & experience unlock it...

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Go, visit a court and sit, listen and observe - any court.

Have you ever sat in a court to listen and to see what is going on there? If not, why not? Or do you do as so many others do? Watch the dramatic stuff on TV? I am not referring to movies – I am referring to real murder trials such as the one about the murder of Eugene Terre’blanché. I strongly recommend that you should visit a court soon. Just the other day a person said to me that he often wondered whether he would be allowed to go in and just sit and listen. It is open to the public – except when it is held in camera for instance when...

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“Beware what you write on social and/or business websites such as Linked-In.”

If you write and post things on the ever present social or business websites it might come back at you to bite you. Caveat subscriptor – beware you signed something; or nowadays I shall rephrase tha to mean: “beware what you write on social and/or business websites such as Linked-In.” This case is about old friends that I have discussed earlier on – the one’s name “restraint of trade” and the other is “confidentiality agreements.” I venture to say that most high flyer businessmen are acutely aware of these these two friends. Well – I am not going to...

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Assistance to victims of crime

When you are a victim of a criminal act, you are at the mercy of the criminal system and how it is applied by law enforcement officials, be it the SAPS and/or prosecutors and the like. Be extremely careful what these officials will tell you and they will tell you a lot of stories. One story is that you don't need a lawyer to assist you - they will do that! It is not the whole truth; only partially truthful. Of course you may sail it solo - at your peril.  And there are thousands who do exactly that - they go it alone, unassisted and without...

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