A Bonteheuwel resident who is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend while she slept has been referred to the district surgeon after he said he suffers from schizophrenia.
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Waleed Khan (49) made his initial court appearance at the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court, during his brief time in the dock, he informed Magistrate Sean Lea that he had received treatment at Karl Bremmer, Valkenberg and a mental hospital for his condition.
Khan was arrested after he handed himself over to the SAPS with the firearm used to shoot his girlfriend, Annelle Jantjies (36), on Sunday morning, 13 August 2023, at the home the couple shared in Firethorn Street, Bonteheuwel.
As reported by IOL, the suspect faces charges of murder, as well as illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Magistrate Lea told Khan he would remain behind bars and will be provided with a Legal Aid representative for his appearance in court.
‘You will remain in custody and tomorrow you will be sent to the district surgeon for an opinion if you need a mental assessment, in my opinion, you do.
‘The assessment will determine if you are fit to stand trial or not,’ said Lea.
Local councillor, Angus Mckenzie stated the following after attending the appearance of Khan at the Bishop Lavis Magistrate Court: ‘The court took a decision to send him for mental assessment to see if he knows the difference between right and wrong. I’m of the opinion that he most certainly did understand what his actions did.
‘We will allow the system to do that. He doesn’t deserve to get bail. He took the life of an innocent lady in the most brutal way, especially in this month of women.
‘He has shown us that there are still sick people in this society that can shoot a woman to death while she is sleeping peacefully so we will not accept it and make sure he never comes out again. He doesn’t belong in our community.’
Khan will remain in custody for a minimum of 30 days in order to undergo a psychological assessment to determine if he is well enough to stand trial.
Outside the courthouse, local residents showed up to advocate for justice on behalf of Annelle.
Charlotte Hendricks, a member of the community, said, ‘I was shocked to learn about the murder, but even more shocked that the accused is now playing mad in court. When he committed the crime he was of conscious mind and knew exactly what he was doing. I think this was premeditated because he walked into that room with the pistol.
‘As a community, we are really sad about this.’
Elizabeth Langeveld, founder of the Bonteheuwel Praying Ladies said Annelle was well-liked and respectful, adding, ‘She was a mother, maybe the child woke up and asked for her.
‘Why couldn’t he give her a hiding? Why did he have to shoot her?
‘She was a quiet woman, who greeted everybody every day, she was very respectful.
‘We are not happy with what he did and we pray that our justice system doesn’t fail us this time.’
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Picture: Maxim Hopman / Unsplash