Panayiotou appeal to be heard this month

A date has finally been set for murder accused Christopher Panayiotou to appeal the magistrate’s court’s decision to deny him bail.

The appeal will be heard in the Grahamstown High Court on July 20, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed yesterday.

Panayiotou, 28, is accused of orchestrating the murder of his wife Jayde, 29, in April.

It is alleged he paid a bouncer at his club, Infinity, Luthando Siyoli, 31, to hire hitman Sizwezakhe Vumazonke, 30, to kidnap and murder Jayde. All three men are in custody.

Panayiotou was denied bail by the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on June 5, after magistrate Abigail Beeton found him to be a flight risk, among other factors.

Lawyer Alwyn Griebenow and advocates Terry Price, SC, and Mike Hellens, SC, will now argue that Beeton misdirected herself in finding that it was in the interest of justice to keep Panayiotou behind bars.

State advocate Marius Stander will meanwhile fight tooth and nail to stop the high court from overturning Beeton’s decision.

In his notice of appeal, Griebenow said Beeton had erred in several major aspects. He said she erroneously:

• Made findings in favour of the state even though such evidence was contradicted by far more reliable evidence from the defence;
• Dismissed numerous material factors put to the court by Panayiotou;
• Elevated the concept of exceptional and compelling circumstances to a degree not required by law; and
• Found Panayiotou to be a flight risk and that there was a likelihood he would interfere with witnesses, despite the fact that there was no reliable evidence supporting this.

NPA provincial spokesman Tsepo Ndwalaza said yesterday that the matter would be argued in Grahamstown on July 20. He could not confirm who the presiding judge would be.

Meanwhile, Vumazonke’s Facebook profile has been deactivated after reports that he had access to social media from his prison cell.

The Daily Dispatch sister newspaper The Herald reported yesterday that Vumazonke, or someone posting on his behalf, had been cracking jokes with friends on Facebook at the weekend.