Anika: more mental tests for accused
|Published
THE mystery surrounding the bizarre killing of Pretoria teenager Anika Smit is far from being solved, with the man who confessed to killing her now having been referred for further psychiatric evaluation.
Johan van Wyk was earlier admitted to the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital where he underwent the normal 30-day psychiatric evaluation. The psychologist who evaluated him, at the time called for a further 20 days of evaluation.
Van Wyk was at the end of the evaluation found to be capable of understanding court proceedings and contributing meaningfully to his own defence - fit to stand trial.
But a magistrate at the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court yesterday referred him for further evaluation. This time, a clinical psychologist and head of the police’s forensic department will assess him.
The prosecution said that this assessment would differ from the one at Weskoppies, as it would specifically focus on his personality profile. His family would assist in giving an input to the psychologist about Van Wyk as a person, with the focus on his past history.
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Prosecutor Tania Carstens said this differed from the Weskoppies assessment, which mainly focused on his mental wellbeing.
Carstens said this would assist the State in its decision regarding the prosecution of Van Wyk.
The defence said it had, meanwhile, discussed the issues with Van Wyk’s parents and they were considering appointing a private psychologist to also assess him.
Van Wyk, 24, earlier confessed to various people that he raped and killed the then 17-year-old Smith.
She was found murdered in her father’s Theresa Park home in 2010. Both her hands were severed and are missing to this day.
An inquest into her death, aimed to solve the riddle of who was behind her murder, could also not shed more light on the killing.
Van Wyk voluntarily went to the++police station in Pretoria North in September last year where he confessed to the crime.
He later also confessed to a colonel in the police service, a magistrate, as well as a cellmate after he was arrested. He was subsequently charged with rape, murder and mutilating a corpse.
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The rape charge stems from the fact that Smit was found with a plastic bottle inserted in her genitals. Her throat was slit and her body riddled with stab wounds.
Van Wyk, meanwhile, had a change of heart and said in a sworn affidavit during his failed bail proceedings that he did not kill Smit.
“I did not kill her and regret giving false hope that Anika’s killer has been found,” he said.
He said that he had been approached by a man and a woman while out with friends last year and they instructed him to confess to the murder.
“These two unknown persons instructed me to go to the South African Police Service to confess that I killed Anika Smit, failing which they would inflict grievous harm on my family and myself,” he told the court.
Axed deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas addressing hundreds of activists outside the National Treasury in Pretoria on Friday.
He said he intended to recant his confession as he was not of sound and sober mind when he made it.
The trial has been postponed to June 23.