Howard Oliver, one of the four men arrested for the murder, robbery and rape of teenager Franziska Blöchliger, was denied bail in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, on Wednesday.
Mr Oliver has denied raping and murdering the 16-year-old in Tokai Park last year (“Franziska remembered,” Bulletin March 10).
Magistrate Goolam Bawa found he had failed to show exceptional circumstances warranting his release for the schedule six offences.
An autopsy found that Franziska had been strangled and suffocated and sustained blunt-force trauma.
At a previous appearance, it emerged a second accused in the case, Jonathan Jonas, who allegedly had the gun that was used in Franziska’s murder, was serving time in jail for another case.
In court on December 28, Mogammad Galant, who was standing in for defence attorney Monique Carstens, who is representing three of the accused, said they did not have the details of the pending case.
On December 13, a third accused in the case, Daniel Easter, failed to appear in court. Magistrate Goolam issued a warrant for his arrest, and Mr Easter claimed that he had been sick.
Mr Easter was released on R1 000 bail last year and is alleged to have been in possession of Franziska’s stolen cellphone following her murder.
The fourth accused in the case, Jerome Moses, is also out on bail and is alleged to have helped to sell the teenager’s cellphone.
