Daniel Rowland, accused of murder following a 2021 shooting at Il Camino restaurant in Mulbarton, made his latest appearance at the Booysens Magistrate’s Court on August 11.

The case continued after defence advocate Christo Meiring highlighted alleged large-scale negligence in the handling of the crime scene by a Mondeor SAPS constable and a forensic officer in 2021.

The prosecution in the case changed four times, with four different attorneys handling the matter. This resulted in considerable confusion, while several important documents were either misplaced or incorrectly filed in terms of legal procedure.

Magistrate Habib explained that the case, which has been on the court roll since 2021, has experienced delays caused by both the State and the defence.

“The case was postponed for Mr Meiring to come on record about three times when he was ill. The state asked for postponements for chain evidence, ballistic and medical reports and for witnesses to be either called to court or to finalise statements. This case is in complete disarray. The defence has exposed so many errors in this case, which is within their right, yet the state has no response as legal practitioners,” said Magistrate Habib.

The state then requested a week postponement to try and finalise their case.

Magistrate Habib then postponed the case to August 21.

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