The absence of Andre Naude, one of the high-profile suspects on trial for plotting the murder of “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein, halted proceedings at the Western Cape High Court yet again. On Tuesday, the private security company Professional Protection Services (PPS) owner’s lawyer, Advocate Amanda Nel, handed the court a medical certificate saying that due to ill health, her client was not fit to appear in court. Brian Wainstein trial: Andre Naude in hospital The latest development comes after the towering former bouncer, who was reportedly a close associate of slain property tycoon and underworld kingpin Mark Lifman, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday.
Nel requested the name of the hospital not be mentioned in media reports due to concerns for Naude’s safety. Judge Vincent Saldanha also asked that the nature of his condition not be published. ‘Anxious’ Mr X ‘booked off’ until December Yesterday morning [Monday], the state prosecutor, Advocate Mervyn Menigo, informed the court that the state’s key witness, Mr X, has been deemed medically unfit to proceed with the trial until 2 December.
Mr X has admitted to his role in Wainstein’s murder, for which he also faces charges, but could be exempted from these charges if he is found to have told the truth on the stand. The court heard that the psychiatrist, who accessed Mr X, wrote in a report that he needs a month’s respite and treatment, with Lifman’s murder noted as a new “anxiety trigger point”.
