The murder case of a woman who died after she was assaulted at The Boule Vard Tavern in Fochville in March, has been moved to the regional court. Six people face charges ranging from murder, accessory after the fact and obstructing justice.

Maryna Doyle (37), Sidney Scheepers (41), Cecilia Storbeck (23), Twane Wienand (31), Rudolf Pretorius (23) and David Lourens (45) will appear in the Fochville Regional Court on Monday.

Their arrest follows an incident where Natasha Barnard (33) was assaulted at the tavern on March 4. Afterwards, she was allegedly driven home in her own car by persons who were at the same tavern.

At home her mother noticed that she was not breathing and called for help, but Wheeler Barnard was declared dead on the scene.

The state alleges that a police investigation revealed that some of the people involved with Wheeler Barnard’s death were among those who drove her home. A month after her death, five people were arrested and charged. A sixth accused was later added.

Doyle and Pretorius face charges of murder, being an accessory after the fact and obstructing justice, while Scheepers, Storbeck, Wienand are charged with being an accessory after the fact and obstructing justice. Lourens is charged with obstructing justice.

According to the legal website caf.co.za, an accessory after the fact is ‘a person who intentionally assists the perpetrator after the completion of the crime’. It is not the same as an accomplice because such a person does not further the commission of the actual crime in question.

“An accessory after the fact is someone who, after the completion of the crime, unlawfully and intentionally associates themselves with the commission of the crime by helping the perpetrator or accomplice evade justice”.