NATIONAL NEWS - The biological father of murdered toddler Poppie van der Merwe yesterday burst into tears on hearing that the trial of his former wife and her husband would not be concluded.

Judge Bert Bam reluctantly postponed the trial of Poppie’s mother, Louisa Koekemoer, 47, and stepfather Kobus Koekemoer, 44, to May 24 after counsel for Louisa, Adrian Nell, told the court an expert witness who had compiled a pre-sentencing report was not willing to testify if her identity was not protected.

This meant he had to find a new expert.

The judge said he regarded the delay as unnecessary, but was faced with a checkmate situation and had to take the interests of the accused and the contribution an expert could make into account.

Prosecutor Salome Scheepers said the state was not willing to accept the report without cross-examining the witness about its content and her expertise – and could not agree to her anonymity because the law did not provide for expert witnesses to remain anonymous.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen.