Monkey slur stuck to Dewani

Shrien Dewani's lawyer has told a British court that the South African authorities had vilified him and made him appear to be guilty of his wife's murder.

Clare Montgomery told Dewani's extradition hearing in London that the South African police had targeted her client with "slurs" and did nothing to discourage the idea that he might have had a "disgraceful sexual motive" for killing his wife.

Dewani is wanted in South Africa to stand trial in Cape Town for allegedly hiring hitmen to kill his wife, Anni, who was shot dead in a fake car hijacking in Gugulethu in November.

Dewani's lawyers have told the hearing that he is far too sick to be extradited.

Montgomery criticised comments by national police commissioner Bheki Cele, who called Dewani a "monkey".

The UK's The Guardian newspaper reported her as saying: "The vilification has been encouraged by the approach to the case by the South African authorities. People are still calling Mr Dewani a monkey months after that statement was made and it was said to denigrate him. The South African authorities have clearly done this deliberately."

She said the "disgraceful sexual motive" the South African authorities believe Dewani had for killing his wife - he is claimed to be gay - would also make him a target for sexual assault in jail.

She said the prison system in South Africa was "in a state of fundamental meltdown" and her client's good looks would get him raped in prison.

Dewani has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and it would be "inhumane" to extradite him, she said.

"Get him better and then extradite him."