Cape Town - The defence has been struck a blow as the trial of Jeremy Sias, 29, continues in the Western Cape High Court today with evidence of an alleged confession made by Sias during the pointing out of Meghan Cremer’s lifeless body to be handed in to court.
An arduous trial-within-a-trial which took weeks to conclude, was last month brought to a close when Judge Elizabeth Baartman made a ruling that disputed ancillary notes and video footage taken by police during the pointing out of Cremer’s remains were admissible.
State advocate, Emily Van Wyk is expected to present the video evidence in court this morning after 11 police officers were put on the stand, all of whom disputed that Sias was beaten up by police and forced to make the confession.
His lawyer, advocate Mohamed Sibda in arguing the evidence as inadmissible said Sias never disputed that he dumped Cremer’s body but instead, denied that he killed her.
Sias faces four counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and defeating the administration of justice for his alleged involvement in Cremer’s murder and attempts at discarding the evidence.
Cremer’s lifeless body was found with blue ribbon tied around her neck, hands and feet in Philippi on August 8, 2019, after she had been reported missing five days earlier.
It is alleged that Sias, a general worker at Vaderlandsche Rietvlei farm, entered Cremer’s home on August 3, 2019, where he allegedly assaulted and strangled Cremer and then crammed her body into the boot of her vehicle.
The court has heard evidence that Sias drove around in Cremer’s vehicle while he was partying with friends and eventually dumped her body at Olieboom Road in Philippi.
Sias has not disputed that he dumped the body, and has told the court that he found Cremer already dead in the boot, after the car was given to him by his employer’s son.
In the video footage however, it is alleged that Sias can be heard confessing to the murder. The video was recorded by police after he was arrested.
Police went to his home at the Egoli informal settlement where a blood-spattered top belonging to Sias was retrieved along with Cremer’s belongings – a leather bag, a make-up bag, a small blanket – and two broken cellphones (which) were found on the roof.
Sias has pleaded “not guilty”, claiming that he was forced into the confession and was hoodwinked by police who promised him a lesser sentence, no jail time and the possibility of seeing his children again if he pointed out where Cremer’s body was dumped.