Murder accused claims he acted in self defence
Tiny Moodley was released on R2 000 bail after claiming that his fatal assault on NTT Nissan parts manager was an act of self defence.
NTT Nissan parts manager, Jeremy James (32), was beaten to death with such savage brutality that his heartbroken family could barely recognise what was left of him.
His attacker, Prasathan (Tiny) Moodley (46), told the court on Monday that he acted in self-defence when he assaulted Mr James and battered his own girlfriend, Anitha Singh, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
State prosecutor, Gugu Mlotshwa, readily accepted Mr Moodley’s claim of self-defence and presented no opposition to attorney, Allen Kelly’s, proposal to grant bail of R2000.
Mr James’s family, however, finds it hard to believe that Mr Moodley, who said that Mr James and Miss Singh attacked him first, seemed completely unscathed, while one of Mr Moodley’s alleged attackers was dead and the other hospitalised.
“At the end of the day, Jeremy’s life is gone, but we do want to make sure that no one else is hurt that way again,” said Mr James’s sister, Alicia Rooplall.
It is believed that Mr Moodley and Miss Singh were drinking at Blackrock Casino on Friday night when they came across Mr James and invited him to go home with them.
Later that night, neighbours reported hearing a commotion in Mr Moodley’s flat. The police were summoned by the night-shift security guard who became alarmed at the screams he heard emanating from the flat.
Police broke down the door to the flat to find Mr Moodley standing over Mr James’s lifeless body, drenched in blood.
Police recovered Mr James’s vehicle at the casino. However, the keys to his vehicle were at his work premises, and his cell phone was later found under the seat in the vehicle.
Asked by the magistrate, Norman Nkosi, for the reasons she was not opposed to granting bail to Mr Moodley, Ms Mlotshwa explained that Mr Moodley was not regarded as a flight risk, his personal details had been confirmed and she did not think that there was any likelihood that Mr Moodley would interfere with the investigation or with the witnesses.
“A fight between the accused, and the deceased and other complainant (Anitha Singh) resulted in the death of the deceased. It is said that it was Anitha and the deceased against the accused, so I see it as self-defence,” explained Ms Mlotshwa.
The case was postponed to November 26 for further investigation, after Mr Nkosi granted R2 000 bail.
Mr James will be laid to rest in Dundee tomorrow.
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