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Slain Swede's husband in drug overdose

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Slain Swede's husband in drug overdose

A British court ruled Tuesday that a businessman accused of ordering his Swedish wife's murder while on honeymoon in South Africa should be taken to hospital after taking an overdose.

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Lawyers for Shrien Dewani and the South African authorities, who are trying to extradite him to face trial, agreed that the 31-year-old should be admitted to the private Priory Hospital in Bristol, southwest England.

Dewani's legal team, who are fighting extradition, previously said he was suffering from acute stress disorder and depressive adjustment disorder.

The court heard at an earlier hearing that Dewani, while on bail, had been rushed to hospital on February 20 after swallowing a cocktail of 46 pills, including diazepam prescribed to treat anxiety and help him sleep.

A psychiatric report written after the incident said it was "unlikely he intended to kill himself on this occasion".

At Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south-east London Tuesday, District Judge Howard Riddle ruled that Dewani must live and sleep at the private hospital, which specialises in treating mental health problems, from Wednesday.

He will remain subject to bail of £250,000 ($400,000) and strict conditions, including a curfew and the requirement that he report daily to a local police station.

Dewani appeared at the court hearing Tuesday but spoke only to confirm he understood the bail conditions.

His wife Anni, whose family live in Sweden, was shot and killed during a reported carjacking on the outskirts of Cape Town.

Zola Tongo, the driver of the taxi in which the young bride was travelling, said he was paid 1,500 rand ($220) for his role in the murder.

He was sentenced to 18 years in jail after he turned state's witness and implicated Shrien Dewani in plotting to kill her.

Dewani denies any involvement.

Speaking publicly about her sister's death in December, Ami Denborg told the London-based newspaper The Times that her family had been charmed by the wealthy Dewani.

While refusing to say would not say whether her family thought Dewani played a part in her sister's killing, Denborg said that, if he was found guilty, "then what he has done is unforgivable. You can't just kill somebody. It is scary. What the hell was he thinking?" she told the paper.

She said the family would go no further on the matter until the legal process was completed and they felt justice had been served.

"It is terrible enough to lose a sister, but it is even more terrible to lose a sister in such a way. The saddest part in all of this is that it doesn't matter what happens to Shrien, to the driver, or to whoever killed her -- I will never get my sister back," she said.

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