News24, Christina Pitt
The Constantia man accused of murdering his wife will have to surrender his Audi Q5 to the police for investigation, the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court heard on Tuesday.
Rob Packham was charged with murder and defeating the ends of justice after Gill Packham’s charred remains were found in the boot of a burnt-out car at Diep River station, Cape Town in February.
Prosecutor Brynmor Benjamin said that investigators needed to obtain tyre imprints from the accused’s motor vehicle.
Packham’s lawyer Ben Mathewson told the court that his client was willing to cooperate with the police and would surrender his vehicle as soon as a date was set.
Mathewson notified the court of his intention to make a formal application to amend the accused’s bail conditions, which prevent him from communicating with witnesses, including his sister.
“[They] should be amended to read that the accused may not communicate with his sister on the merits of the case,” Mathewson said.
Zimbabwe-born Packham, who earns R80 000 a month at cooldrink manufacturer Twizza, was arrested in March and was released on R50 000 bail. He was then placed under house arrest in his upmarket Constantia home.
Packham was seen shielding his face from the media ahead of proceedings.
Magistrate Goolam Bawa postponed the matter to July 10 to allow for further investigation, including the post-mortem report and DNA analysis results for the blood found in the accused’s home.