The defence lawyer for alleged wife killer Rob Packham on Wednesday tried to use the Daily Voice to discredit a state witness but failed.
Neighbourhood watch patroller Paul Gray has fingered Packham, 58, as the man seen driving his wife’s green BMW on the day she disappeared.
The former Twizza boss is on trial at the Cape High Court for the murder of his wife, Gill, 56.
Silence washed over the courtroom as Gray walked up to Packham and tapped him on the shoulder after presiding judge Elizabeth Steyn requested he point out the man he saw driving Gill’s car.
Gill was found in the boot of her car which had been set alight at the Diep River train station on 22 February 2018.
Gray said he was on patrol at about 2pm on the day Gill went missing and says while driving from his home, he spotted a green BMW, the number plates removed, in Lucius Way.
He said the car appeared suspicious and when he walked up to it, he did not see anyone inside.
He returned to his vehicle and then saw a man in shorts walk to the BMW and get into the driver’s seat.
He says he drove up to the vehicle and saw Packham hitting the steering wheel with his hands.
“I tried to stop [Packham] to talk. I thought someone may have stolen the plates,” said Gray.
“The driver was banging the steering wheel. I saw him briefly and then he sped off.”
Asked to point to the man he saw driving the vehicle, Gray walked past the accused, glanced at the public gallery, turned and placed his hand on Packham’s right shoulder.
MURDERED: Gill Packham
Defence advocate Craig Webster said Packham believed Gray had made a mistake, as he was driving a white Audi Q5 on the day while looking for his missing wife.
Webster also questioned Gray’s eyesight and whether he may have seen pictures of Packham in the Daily Voice before identifying him from photographs during an identity parade.
He held up a copy of the paper which had Packham on the front page.
But Gray said he did not buy any newspapers and stuck to his testimony.
Also on the stand was Tarryn Steed, of the Constantia Valley Information Centre (CVIC), which monitors the security cameras in Constantia and other suburbs.
She testified that cameras captured a “fair male” wearing a blue golf shirt driving the car on the day.
The courtroom also buzzed as people apparently saw one of Packham’s daughters trying to pass him a note in court.
On Tuesday the Daily Voice spotted the older daughter, Kerry, attempting to pass a note to her father, but she was stopped by a police officer.
Physical contact between the public gallery and an accused is prohibited.