The cross-examination of the investigating officer in the bail application of Tiffany Meek, the Fleurhof, Johannesburg, mother accused of killing her 11-year-old son Jayden-Lee Meek, continued on Friday.
Investigating officer Sergeant Nceba Diko was grilled by Meek’s lawyer, Noven Naidoo, over the days it took for the police to secure Jayden-Lee’s school bag as an exhibit at Swazi’s Place complex in Fleurhof.
At the start of the bail application, Naidoo wanted to establish whether the school bag had been tested for fingerprints or if there were any fingerprints lifted from the school bag.
Diko said fingerprint experts state that school bags are not a material from which fingerprints can be lifted.
According to Naidoo, the school bag was only sealed as an exhibit on May 16, when Diko took control of the sealing of it.
He said the community and family representatives were in and out of the unit in which they lived.
Naidoo mentioned that a prayer meeting took place on May 15, the day after Jayden-Lee’s body was discovered in the complex.
He added that for two days, the unit was opened for people to come in and out until Diko arrived on May 16, although the investigating officer did not enter the unit.
Naidoo also indicated that the unit’s key was voluntarily handed back to the family, and they opened it for the SA Police Service member to do their work.
Diko said Meek’s sister opened for police officers to do their work.
Another exhibit was an apparently blood-stained pillow, which Naidoo said his client insists various witnesses, such as community activists who were there, claim none of them saw the pillow on May 16.
While Diko stated that he never personally saw the pillow, a sniffer dog took a bite at it, and police officers then took it.
The pillow was taken to the forensic science laboratory and tests confirmed that the blood matched the deceased’s, according to Diko.
Naidoo said his client had instructed him to inform the court that her son suffered from nosebleeds and that the blood could have been as far back as six months. Diko said he could not testify that the blood was fresh or stale.
The court also heard that the day and night shift security guards on duty when Jayden-Lee was reported missing were fired a week after his body was found.
The hearing continues.
loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za
