Cape Town - Toddler murder-accused Melvin Volkwyn will have to wait a little longer to hear his fate after the matter was postponed at the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.
Judgment was expected in hairstylist Volkwyn’s alleged involvement in the disappearance and murder of Orderick Lucas, however Judge Nolundi Nyati said she had “legal issues to consider” before handing down judgment.
The matter will resume in court on August 25.
It is the State’s case that Volkwyn caused the death of the toddler and hid his body in the stormwater drain in Wittebol Street in Melton Rose, Eerste Rivier just metres away from the home of Orderick’s grandmother, Cornelia Scheepers.
Orderick went missing on March 24, 2019, and his maggot-infested body was discovered in a drain when a group of children tried to retrieve a ball.
The cause of Orderick’s death was not determined during autopsy.
Volkwyn is accused of having murdered 22-month-old Orderick after the toddler was left in his care when Orderick’s mother, Davidene Lucas, became embroiled in an altercation with a group of residents relating to a stolen cellphone.
Lucas discovered her son was missing after she had sought medical care for a head injury, submitting in court that she had never received Orderick back into her care from Volkwyn.
Volkwyn, who maintained his innocence during the trial, said he had handed Orderick back to Lucas over a vibracrete wall.
During the two year-trial, courts heard that Volkwyn had allegedly used pliers to extract four of Orderick’s teeth but Volkwyn denied this and said he “just knew about the one tooth”.
It also emerged in court that Orderick was removed from his parent’s care and was not legally in Lucas’ care at the time of his disappearance, after a social services investigation found the toddler and his siblings suffered abuse, were neglected and the parents used drugs.
Cape Times