Shrien Dewani still thinks about his wife Anni, despite the prospect of a murder trial, a London court was told.
|||London - Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani still thinks about his dead wife Anni, despite the prospect of a murder trial in South Africa, a London court was told on Wednesday.
Professor Nigel Eastman, appearing for the defence at an extradition hearing, said Dewani had “lost everything” after the death and was making slow progress with his depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Speaking at Westminster Magistrate’s Court, the forensic psychiatrist said it would be a mistake to immediately send Dewani back to South Africa to face trial and they should instead wait six months to monitor his condition.
He said: “Whether or not Mr Dewani is guilty of the offence charged, he has lost his wife and there is grief at the loss of his wife. The nature of the context of the loss doesn’t abolish that grief. It is still very real and I think he thinks about Anni a lot.
“He was extremely confident and successful and almost at a stroke has lost everything.”
Dewani’s legal team has claimed that returning him to South Africa would risk his health and put him in danger of catching Aids within the country’s prison system.
However, the South African government has made a special case for the murder suspect and said he would be placed in Valkenberg Hospital’s general treatment unit rather than the forensic one or a prison.
Eastman disagreed with the government’s psychiatric witness, Dr Ian Cumming, who said Dewani should return sooner, rather than later, as it would be “the kind thing to do”.
Eastman said: “If he goes now from a poor mental state, he will be unfit when he arrives. He will worsen at the time of transfer and be more ill when he gets there. If he goes later and in a better mental state, the dip in regression will be less. I disagree with Dr Cumming.”
Independent Foreign Service