GQEBERHA – Fake money was found in a rented BMW used in the plot to murder Vicki Terblanche, the Gqeberha High Court heard today (Wednesday, 18 March).
State witness Captain Sherwin Walsh testified that an undisclosed amount of cash discovered in the boot of the vehicle used by Reinhardt Leach was counterfeit.
The state accuses businessman Arnold Terblanche of orchestrating his estranged wife’s death with the help of her then-boyfriend, Leach.
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Under cross-examination by Terblanche’s legal representative Peter Dauberman, Walsh described the scene where Vicki’s body was found at a Greenbushes grave. She was wearing an earring on her left ear, two items of clothing, and three bracelets, two on her right arm and one on her left.
Walsh told the court there were no visible marks or injuries on her body, though blood was found in her hair, although this was not confirmed. A sand sample was also taken from the scene.
The court heard that Leach had been using a BMW sedan hired from Europcar to commit the crime. Items inside suggested someone had been living out of the car, Dauberman noted. Walsh said he presumed this was the case.
The court also heard testimony from Dharmesh Kanti, a manager in MTN South Africa’s Law Enforcement Division. His technical and complex evidence detailed how phone records are obtained by the state, confirming all legal protocols were followed.
Kanti explained that data is only released once an investigating officer, magistrate, or prosecutor presents a subpoena. He cautioned that RICA information isn’t always reliable, as it depends on the good faith of those registering SIM cards and had to be taken at face value.
The court heard that one phone number was linked to a SIM card used in three devices, a Nokia, a Huawei, and a Samsung.
This linked to evidence that when Leach was arrested days after the murder, Walsh photographed the rented BMW at the police station and found a black Nokia wedged between the driver’s seat and centre console.
The matter was remanded until tomorrow (Thursday, 19 March) for further cross-examination.
Terblanche and Vicky married in 2006. One child was born out of the marriage. They lived at Westview Village, an upmarket housing complex in Gqeberha. Leach pleaded guilty to his role in the murder in March last year and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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