Strange twist to murder charges

The son of Dunedin psychiatrist Colin David Bouwer, who is accused of murdering his wife, goes on trial in Johannesburg, South Africa, this month, also charged with killing his wife.

Bouwer sen, aged 50, a former head of the department of psychological medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine, and his son of the same name, Colin David Bouwer, 26, a businessman of Johannesburg, are appearing in courts in New Zealand and South Africa respectively this month on separate murder charges.

Bouwer sen is charged with murdering his wife, Annette, 47, between September 30, 1999, and January 5 last year. A depositions hearing is being held at Dunedin District Court.

His counsel, David More, sought an injunction to stop the Otago Daily Times publishing details of Bouwer jun's trial, but the application was denied in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

The trial of Bouwer jun is to begin on April 23. He is charged with strangling his wife, Ria, 23, in 1999 at their Johannesburg home.

Bouwer jun, who is on bail, said this week: "I am glad it is finally here so that I can prove my innocence ... It is just circumstantial, the state has no evidence. I believe that I will be a free man after this court case."

He claimed at his bail hearing that on the morning of his wife's death he had collected their 2-year-old daughter from home and had gone on various errands throughout the day. When he returned home he found his wife dead.

A preliminary hearing for Bouwer sen began in Dunedin last week and is expected to last at least a month. South African-born Annette Bouwer died at the family's home, six weeks after her admission to Dunedin Hospital for the first of two episodes of hypoglycaemic coma.

Dunedin police claim Bouwer sen wrote false prescriptions for significant amounts of drugs affecting blood sugar levels just a few days before Mrs Bouwer's health deteriorated.

In the High Court decision, Justice Chisholm said that any connection between father and son and the similarity of charges was outweighed by the trials being in different countries, involving different people.

- NZPA