BBC doc reveals how S. African honeymoon murder-suspect Shrien could be innocent

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ANI Sydney
Last Updated : Sep 20 2013 | 10:55 AM IST

A documentary is set to be aired suggesting Brit-Indian businessman Shrien Dewani could be innocent.

A BBC report has raised doubts about evidence against Dewani for allegedly orchestrating his wife's murder while on their honeymoon in South Africa.

Dewani is accused of hiring a hit man to kill his 28-year-old bride, Anni. She was found shot dead in an abandoned taxi in a Cape Town township in 2010.

According to news.com.au, the Panorama programme claimed it has obtained prosecution files from the case that appear to contradict a key witness's statement.

A leading forensic scientist also told the programme, that there is 'simply a cloud of suspicion rather than any evidence' against Dewani.

Jim Fraser said that this is not an investigation that would meet the standards in this country, adding that there are many things that fall a long way short of effective investigation.

In July, a British court ruled that Dewani, 33, should be extradited to South Africa to face trial over his wife's death, despite his mental health problems.

Panorama cites a firearms expert and a pathologist to poke holes in the investigation's assertion that Anni was cowering in the back seat and to suggest that she could have been shot in a struggle, the report said.

The programme said that it obtained security footage and phone records that contradict the sworn statement of taxi driver Zola Tongo, who was jailed for 18 years after he admitted his part in the killing, it added.

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First Published: Sep 20 2013 | 10:48 AM IST

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