Christopher Panayiotou in court.
Pic: All4women.
Christopher Panayiotou, the man accused of organising a hit on his wife Jayde Panayiotou, will hear his fate on Friday morning.
The 28-year-old businessman and club owner will find out whether or not he gets bail in the Port Elizabeth Magistrates’ court.
Panayiotou stands accused of hiring hitmen to kidnap, rob and brutally murder his 29-year-old wife Jayde.
Jayde was kidnapped outside their home in Uitenhage on the morning of April 21st this year. Her body was found riddled with bullets the next day in a deserted area in the Kwanobuhle township in Uitenhage.
During the course of Panayiotou’s bail hearing his mistress, Channelle Coutts, who is a manager at the Algoa Park OK Grocery store and is also Panayiotou’s employee, has turned State witness.
Police investigator, Kanna Swanepoel’s report had damning evidence against Panayiotou claiming that he had two unsuccessful attempts on Jayde’s life and that he risked being disinherited by his father for having an extra-marital affair. The report, which was read out by State Prosecutor Marius Stander, went on to say that Panayiotou paid two men a total of R70,000 to go through with the hit.
Thando Siyoli, a 31-year-old bouncer who worked at Christopher Panayiotou’s club Infiniti, was paid R30,000 for the hit while 30-year-old Sizwezakhe Vumazonke has admitted to his role in Jayde’s murder and to the fact that he was paid R40,000 by Panayiotou.
In today’s hearing, Marius Stander revealed that they have four strong witnesses, including Panayiotou’s Mistress and Thando Siyoli, who have both turned State witness.
Prosecutor Stander says the State is still very much against Panayiotou getting bail as he is a flight risk due to his procurement of a Cypriot visa just before Jayde’s murder, which the State believes he would use to flee the country and evade trial & arrest. The State has also raised concerns that if Panayiotou is released on bail he may try to influence his mistress’s testimony.
Presiding Magistrate Abigail Beeton told the prosecution that she needs the State’s case to be less ambiguous before she hands down her judgement.
His hearing will take place at the Port Elizabeth Magistrates’ court at 10am tomorrow.
