Waterkloof youth denies charge
15/03/2005 12:52  - (SA)  

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Pretoria - One of four Waterkloof youths accused of killing a man in a park in 2001 denied stabbing the man.

Christoff Becker, 19, also denied in his Pretoria Regional Court trial on Tuesday that he or co-accused Gert van Schalkwyk was involved in an assault on another man the same day.

All four plead not guilty

Becker, Van Schalkwyk, Frikkie du Preez and Reinach Tiedt have pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man with the intent to do grievous bodily harm in Constantia Park in Pretoria in December 2001, and murdering another, unidentified, man in Moreleta Park that same night.

Becker, 16 at the time, testified that he was driving with Van Schalkwyk, a girl and another youth when they saw three black men running into a park in the suburb, carrying what they believed to be stolen goods.

He dropped Van Schalkwyk at one side of the park, while he drove to the other side with the other two still in the car.

Took two knives into park

Becker said he got out and took two knives with him into the park, where he met up with Van Schalkwyk. They saw a man hiding behind a tree.

They called the man, saying they wanted to take him to the car to phone the police.

"Gert walked in front, the man in the middle, and I behind. We saw a movement and thought it was the other two burglars," Becker said.

The man then allegedly hit van Schalkwyk from behind. Becker said he hit the man back.

The man stumbled forward, upon which Du Preez, Tiedt and State witness Heinrich von Lansberg, arrived.

According to Becker, they kicked the man as he was bigger than them and they wanted to get him to the ground.

Becker said he then ran away. "I was scared and just wanted to get away from the situation."

He was also worried about the girl in the car and that the other burglars might still be around.

The other boys arrived at the car after him, one by one.

Becker told the court that police earlier presented a programme about crime at the school, and asked pupils to assist them in the fight against crime.

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