Motata denies being drunk

2008-07-30 21:23

Johannesburg - The defence in the drunken driving trial of Pretoria High Court judge Nkola Motata said it was putting forward a proposition that throughout the night of the accident Motata had denied being drunk.

Defence advocate Danie Dorfling said a transcript of five cell phone recordings taken on the night of the accident could substantiate this proposition.

Dorfling said the first time Motata denied being drunk was when he said in Sotho "they must not think they have caught me with something".

Dorfling said Motata again denied being drunk when he said "don't talk rubbish," when the owner of the property Motata crashed into, Richard Baird, and metro police were talking about taking blood tests and breathalysers.

Objected to some of the questions

Dorfling stated he was "putting it no higher than a proposition" that these words were evidence of Motata denying being drunk on the scene.

"If he [witness Richard Baird] disagrees he disagrees."

Baird said he did not believe that he heard Motata saying he was not drunk on the scene.

State advocate Zaais van Zyl objected to some of the questions, saying how could Baird know what Motata was referring to with his statements that night.

Earlier Baird said he had determined Motata was drunk before he had spoken to him.

Baird said he considered Motata drunk because the tenant on his property who discovered the accident scene, Lucky Melk, told him so.

He also said he used the fact Motata had reversed parked into his wall and the fact that he was sleeping in his car when Baird arrived on the scene as evidence of him being drunk.

- SAPA