Panorama casts doubt on murder case against honeymoon groom

A documentary suggesting that honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani could be innocent will air tonight, despite outrage from his former bride’s family.
Shrien Dewani  and Anni DewaniShrien Dewani  and Anni Dewani
Shrien Dewani and Anni Dewani

BBC Panorama is set to raise concerns about the case against the 33-year-old businessman, accused of ordering the murder of his wife in South Africa in 2010.

Anni Dewani, 28, was shot in the neck as the couple travelled in a taxi in Cape Town.

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The documentary suggests that she could have been shot by mistake in a struggle, and that there are significant contradictions in the account given by the taxi driver Zola Tongo.

It also claims that sound from CCTV shows that hotel receptionist Monde Mbolombo, who has been granted immunity from prosecution, could have played a key role in what happened.

Professor of forensic science Jim Fraser told the programme: “This is not an investigation that would meet the standards in this country. There are many things... that fall a long way short of effective investigation.”

The BBC team has accessed police files that make up the prosecution case against Dewani.

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The material reveals that CCTV and phone records appear to contradict parts of the account given by Tongo, who was jailed for 18 years for his part in the killing. This includes a call he claimed to have received from Dewani on the day of the murder that did not happen.

A hitman has been convicted of premeditated murder and another accomplice sentenced to 25 years.

South African investigators say Anni was cowering against the back seat when she was deliberately shot from a distance of two inches to four inches away. But firearms expert Mark Mastaglio told the programme that a wound in her hand suggests she was shot at less than two inches away and the gun went off in a struggle.

In July a court ruled that Dewani should be extradited to South Africa to face trial, despite mental health problems. Appeal hearings are expected to take place next month.

The Honeymoon Murder: Who Killed Anni? is at 9pm on BBC One.

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