Man killed outside PE pub
2005-08-01 08:45
Port Elizabeth - "One has to earn forgiveness, but he went to his grave without apologising to me for the death of my husband."
This is what Charmaine McCance, a local state prosecutor, said on Sunday after learning of the violent death of Johannes Geyer, the man accused of causing the death of her husband, Ian McCance, in a fistfight.
Geyer, a mechanical engineer with Ford SA in Port Elizabeth, died in the early hours of Saturday morning when he was beaten to death outside a bar in the city.
The fight took place at about 04:00 outside The Old Barn at Hunter's Retreat.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Johann van Greunen said a fight broke out between Geyer and an unknown man. They were allegedly both drunk at the time.
"The suspect allegedly ran down Cape Avenue after the fight where a car was waiting for him. We do not have the registration number of this vehicle and the suspect is still at large," Van Greunen said.
A woman, who does not want to be named and who frequents this bar, said Geyer intervened to break up a fight.
Apparently a group of men attacked Geyer and violently assaulted him. He died outside the pub.
Geyer's death comes while the judicial inquest into McCance's death is still ongoing.
The investigation had to determine whether Geyer, who was a friend of McCance, should be charged with culpable homicide.
McCance died in March last year after an argument outside the Wedgewood golf club. He and Geyer started fighting after a pool game in the club's bar.
Drinking throughout the day
The men, who had allegedly been drinking throughout the day, had money on two games. McCance apparently won both and insisted on being paid the R100 he was owed.
Geyer allegedly refused to hand over the money since McCance did not have any more money at that stage and he could not have betted on the games in the first place.
The fight apparently spilled over to the parking area where some eyewitnesses said McCance started hitting Geyer through the open window of the car in which he sat.
In the judicial inquest, people testified that Geyer got out of the car and knocked McCance down with one blow.
Geyer took his unconscious friend to hospital, but McCance was already in a coma.
A case of attempted murder was initially investigated against Geyer, but the director of public prosecutions withdrew this charge because there was not enough evidence against Geyer.
The owner of The Old Barn was not available for comment.
McCance's wife made history last year when she obtained special permission for the Port Elizabeth High Court to withdraw sperm from her husband, who was already brain dead at the time. She planned to fertilise herself with the sperm at a later stage.
McCance was kept alive on a life support system until the court ruled on this case.