Judge orders no further delays in Corrine Jackson's eight-year murder trial

Murder accused Corrine Jackson has run out of money to pay her legal fees, and together with her attorney, they have been instructed that no further delays and postponements will be accepted in the marathon eight-year-long trial following pressure from the Judge President and community interest.

On Tuesday, the Magistrate at the Mitchells Plain Regional Court gave Jackson’s attorney a stern instruction and order that, despite Jackson’s coffers running on empty, the trial would continue on Wednesday, November 5.

The state is set to prove that Jackson had tried to behead her estranged girlfriend, Nadine Esterhuizen, 18, in September 2017 at a residence in Colorado Park, Mitchells Plain. This was after her attorney, Asghar Mia, informed the court that he had not been paid legal fees for five court sessions, dating back to August, and had been waiting on financial instruction.

The court was expected to complete the testimony of expert witness, Forensic State Pathologist, Dr Varushka Bachan, who gave gripping, and impressive testimony in August of the crime scene and that of the post-mortem. Mia was scheduled to carry out cross-examination of Bachan, armed with their own expert on blood splatter, but said he could not attend to this due to not receiving financial instruction.

Mia said Jackson’s wife had suffered a medical emergency and that the money was paid to see to her treatment and procedure. “They could not settle the account and pointed out that they are in financial difficulties,” Mia explained.

The Magistrate remarked that the issue of the medical emergency had nothing to do with the case. He said he had asked Mia prior to Tuesday's court date whether he had financial instructions to proceed, to which he had indicated yes and stated that he could not allow another delay: “I cannot allow further postponements in this matter due to the public interest; I won’t allow it.”

Mia added he would then have no choice but to withdraw from the case, to which the Magistrate said he would not accept. “You cannot withdraw. The matter has been on the roll since 2017, and the Judge President is asking what we are doing about it.”

At this point, Mia approached Jackson, who appeared to be flustered, informing him that the state had also caused delays. The Magistrate then informed the party that Jackson herself had caused delays by changing her lawyers. The Magistrate instructed Mia to find his expert for the cross-examination and to continue with the matter.

Mia said he had sent an email to Jackson’s family in August asking about the financial instruction and that a reply was only received in October.

Lynn Philipps of the Cape Flats Safety Forum, who has been following the case, said they were relieved that the matter would be moving without delays: “I want to implore the Magistrate for decisive action by indicating that the case must continue."

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