THE young man who gave his father's gun to the alleged Marine Drive killers did so in the hope that it would improve his chances with a girl, the Port Elizabeth High Court has heard.
Altaaf Swartz told the court that the men who allegedly kidnapped, robbed and murdered Owen Demingo and Sarah-Jane Oliphant on January 29 last year had spent the day drinking and smoking tik, and that one of the accused went on a search for a sangoma.
Oliphant and Demingo were shot in the head and their bodies dumped along Marine Drive.
Andrico "Boeta" Williams, 21, of Cleary Estate, Shannon Mopp, 25, of Bethelsdorp, Junaid "Pang" van Vught, 27, and Justin Najoe, 22, of Bloemendal, all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Judge Bonisile Sandi yesterday allowed evidence of a pointing out done by Najoe, describing the scene of the kidnapping.
Walking past a vehicle, Najoe said: "Mopp pointed a gun at the people in the vehicle. They were having sex. He told them to get dressed and get out. We forced them into the boot. They dropped me off near my house."
A crucial witness in the state's case, the shy and soft-spoken Swartz, now runs a tik rehabilitation centre. He told the court he was desperate to be friends with Williams, Mopp and Van Vught and gave them his father's gun in the hope that Williams would help him get a girl he liked.
"I thought the gun was broken. Williams said he wanted to rob the shop around the corner but did not want to hurt anybody." Williams returned the gun the next day.
Williams and Van Vught were arrested first. Swartz said after he and Mopp heard about the arrest, Mopp told him he wanted to go to see a sangoma.
Swartz will continue his evidence today.
