Key witness in Thiruvananthapuram: Latvian woman rape And the murder case appeared in the first additional sessions court here on Thursday.
Pradeep AS (39), a native of Shantipuram near Vandithavalam, did not turn up on Wednesday citing health problems. The court had issued summons on Wednesday asking him to appear in the court within 24 hours.
In court, the prosecution lauded the witness for showing courage to speak the truth despite threats and pressure from people associated with the accused.
The police had last week arrested a man for threatening to back Pradeep.
In court, he was also asked to recall the color of the dress in the body and the distance of the crime scene from his home. The main and cross-examination lasted for an hour. During cross-examination, he was asked whether he was scared after seeing the dead body at the spot.
He showed in the court how the dead body was lying in the mangroves.
The court will examine Lalu and Sooraj, the third and fourth witnesses respectively in the case on Friday.
The second witness, Ilz Schromne, appeared before the court on Wednesday.
33 year old Latvian citizen had traveled Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment and went missing on March 14, 2018. Later, his mutilated body was recovered from a mangrove in Panathura on April 20, 2018. There are 104 witnesses, 112 documents and 81 physical objects in the case.
(As per Supreme Court directions on matters relating to sexual harassment, the identity of the victim is not disclosed to protect her privacy)
Pradeep AS (39), a native of Shantipuram near Vandithavalam, did not turn up on Wednesday citing health problems. The court had issued summons on Wednesday asking him to appear in the court within 24 hours.
In court, the prosecution lauded the witness for showing courage to speak the truth despite threats and pressure from people associated with the accused.
The police had last week arrested a man for threatening to back Pradeep.
In court, he was also asked to recall the color of the dress in the body and the distance of the crime scene from his home. The main and cross-examination lasted for an hour. During cross-examination, he was asked whether he was scared after seeing the dead body at the spot.
He showed in the court how the dead body was lying in the mangroves.
The court will examine Lalu and Sooraj, the third and fourth witnesses respectively in the case on Friday.
The second witness, Ilz Schromne, appeared before the court on Wednesday.
33 year old Latvian citizen had traveled Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment and went missing on March 14, 2018. Later, his mutilated body was recovered from a mangrove in Panathura on April 20, 2018. There are 104 witnesses, 112 documents and 81 physical objects in the case.
(As per Supreme Court directions on matters relating to sexual harassment, the identity of the victim is not disclosed to protect her privacy)