Oyster fest youth's accused killer in court

KNYSNA NEWS - The 23-year-old man who was charged with the murder of Jared Lomas (22) of Cape Town, who was working at the Knysna Oyster Festival last year, appeared at the Knysna Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, May 31.

The case was however remanded to a regional court hearing for June 15.

At the time of his arrest on the last day of the Oyster Festival in 2015, he was, according to Captain Bernadine Steyn of the SAPS corporate communications centre (Southern Cape), arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning, July 11, and charged with murder.

The young man was due to appear in the Knysna Magistrate's Court on July 12, 2015, but his case was removed from the court roll before he could appear, for further police investigation.

He was released that morning from police custody and went home with his parents.

The case was thrown out of court because of a lack of evidence and referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.

Well-known Garden Route attorney Carl Jeppe was appointed to defend the suspect.

In the meanwhile, for almost a year, the case has been with the National Prosecuting Authority while more police investigation continued. The case has now been referred back to the police, who have instituted a charge of murder against the young man again.

Jeppe said the matter would be postponed to a regional court and as such the accused did not plead today (Tuesday), although Jeppe said his client was going to plead not-guilty.

Lomas was in Knysna working for eventing company Ignite Events to pay for his university studies at Unisa when he died.

He only had another six months to complete his BComm financial management degree, and his latest results came out while he was in Knysna, and he got five distinctions.

A press release issued after Lomas' death said, "The suspect was seated in his white-and-grey Colt bakkie in Long Street, Knysna on Sunday morning at approximately 01:50. The suspect allegedly took the deceased 22-year-old Lomas by his collar and drove while holding onto the deceased."

Lomas was declared dead on arrival at the Knysna Provincial Hospital after being taken by emergency services.

Lomas's father Lloyd and his best friend Heinrich Painczyk drove from Cape Town to the short court hearing on Tuesday, May 31.

"We had to be here, but this was the outcome we expected," said Lloyd Lomas.

He said all he wanted was for justice to be done and for the truth to be heard.

Lomas' funeral was held on July 18 last year.

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