Meghan Cremer murder accused confessed under the ‘influence of police brutality’
|Published
The man accused of murdering Meghan Cremer claims Grassy Park cops assaulted him. File picture: Patrick Louw
Cape Town - The trial of farmworker Jeremy Sias – accused of killing 30-year-old bakery manager Meghan Cremer – was cut short after Sias told the court he had severe toothache that required medical attention.
Sias, 29, faces four counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft, and defeating the administration of justice for his alleged involvement in Cremer’s murder and attempts at discarding the evidence.
Yesterday, Judge Elizabeth Baartman directed the police detective assigned to the case to ensure Sias received treatment from the district surgeon, after he complained of severe toothache.
This came after police officer Winston Pickard returned to the stand to give testimony on the ancillary notes he recorded during an interview with Sias, before the accused led police to where he had dumped Cremer’s body.
Pickard said he questioned Sias on August 7, 2019 before 12am at Philippi police station. He said Sias seemed nervous but was forthcoming and told him about injuries he sustained at the hands of police, but he never showed him these injuries on his body.
Pickard then revealed that when he asked Sias why he was there, he said, “Yes, I know because I committed a murder.”
After further enquiries, Sias told Pickard, “Today, the detective said I must go and show where I killed this person.”
Pickard further revealed that Sias informed him that he wanted legal representation, and that he had been assaulted to point out Cremer’s body.
When Pickard asked him whether the assaults influenced him to point out anything, Sias responded to say, “Yes, I killed someone.”
Sias further said during questioning that he had been promised a lesser sentence in exchange for pointing out the victim’s body. When asked about how the promises led to his decision, he said, “I thought they were telling the truth, that I won’t end up in jail.”
Sias’s lawyer, advocate Mohamed Sibda, in cross-examination of Pickard, asked him if he was aware that Sias may have suffered prejudice as an accused, and that the nature of the notes pertained to a critical aspect of the rights of the accused.
Pickard said, “As I explained before, he wasn’t formally charged and once he was charged, he could ask the court for legal aid… I warned him of his rights but he said he wanted to proceed. He said he wanted to apply at court (for legal aid). It’s not as though I wanted to prejudice him.”
Pickard said Sias accompanied detectives to where Cremer’s body was found with a blue ribbon tied around her neck, hands and feet, and that he thanked Sias for his co-operation.