Sean Newman, News24 User
Fred van der Vyver has finally been found not guilty. Most of us could gather as much from having followed the trial thanks to News24's coverage of the event. But now what?
That means that Inge Lotz's killer is still at large. This, coupled with the fact that the crime scene appears to have been processed with a view that they needed to pin it on Fred, means that the chances of catching the killer have long passed and we are left with yet another cold case.
The point of this article is to look at the toll this trial has taken on a family and a bright young man who has had to endure hell on earth for a long time. Imagine if you will, loving someone and having them viciously ripped from this world, only to suddenly have to deal with being accused of the savage act.
His parents retained the best legal counsel this country has to offer, flew in countless international legal and forensic experts - all with the aim of proving their son was innocent. This cost alone must have run into the millions as senior council and experts come at a premium. Never mind the intense emotional toll something of this magnitude would take on one and their health.
What we know now
So now that we know that the police officer who testified about the elusive finger print from the DVD box/drinking glass lied about its origins, what recourse does the family have against him? Are we so blind as a nation that the way to solve crime is to lie just to get the result; so it looks like we have done our jobs and made the world safer?
That to me is disgusting, and after ignoring the fact that he could not have possibly managed to elude Old Mutual's sophisticated security system, they went ahead and charged him none the less.
This case has been a pinnacle in the media of late, headlines screaming each time it was delayed or resumed; closing arguments heard; then re-opened for Fred to take the stand; then closed again. This all at a great personal cost as well as financial loss to a family.
This young man will be forever tainted after this, all articles indicate he had to leave his job in order to pursue this defence of innocence as well as the fact that he would surely not want to be seen anywhere after making front page for this.
Does this amount to malicious prosecution and if so, what recourse does he and his family have to regain their dignity and financial loss thanks to a bunch of people who, instead of doing their jobs, went after the easiest target and then proceeded to bring his entire life into our homes and minds.
Trial by media
This begs the question of how many people sitting in jail right now - and those awaiting trial - are there that can't afford a legal team like Fred's? How many innocent people have had their lives ripped right from under them only to have to suffer the consequences of others' actions?
Sadly we all know there is an intense pressure from us the public on the police system to successfully prosecute and jail offenders in order for us all to feel that little bit safer.
Why is it though that when a high profile person is involved in a crime then it is solved quickly and efficiently yet every other day things such as blood tests and fingerprints are botched.
Sadly our democracy may say we are all innocent till proven guilty but it is quite the opposite since in order to get to that result you have to pay for the right to be wrongly accused. Lets be honest, legal aid would not have provided this result since there is no room for experts or senior council.
Sadly, while one young man can finally hold his head up and walk free, he will never shake the stigma and the questions. He has to now attempt to rebuild his life; he may not have a criminal record but he sure as hell has a record on the internet and archived news print. Google alone returns 5410 page results for his name world wide when put with the name Inge Lotz.
Do I feel he has been vindicated? Of course I do, but at what cost and who is held responsible for this mistake.
It time that people are made to pay for their actions against other and this includes police who maliciously prosecute all the Fred's in this country.
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.