Panayiotou denied bail on fears he may flee to Cyprus
The fact that murder accused Christopher Panayiotou might flee to Cyprus was one of the main reasons for Magistrate Abigail Beeton denying bail. This emerged in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on Friday morning‚ after Panayiotou was denied bail last week.Panayiotou is accused of masterminding the abduction and murder of his Nelson Mandela Bay teacher wife Jayde on April 21.Her body was found in Rocklands‚ outside Uitenhage‚ a day after she went missing. She had been shot once in the head and twice in the chest.Panayiotou was arrested in connection with the murder the following week‚ as was a bouncer at a club he owns‚ who has reportedly turned state witness against him and claimed that his boss approached him to arrange the hit.Beeton said Panayiotou had not played open cards with respect to his ties to Cyprus and her conclusion was that had investigating officer Kanna Swanepoel not informed the court of his Cypriot passport‚ the court would have been none the wiser.Beeton said that if convicted‚ Panayiotou would face life in prison‚ a factor that was an incentive not to stand trial. She also said that Panayiotou was overcommitted financially.-RDM News Wire..
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