Van Breda has tests after epileptic seizure

Henri van Breda, accused of axing his parents and brother to death, spent the weekend in hospital.

This came to light in the Cape Town High Court on Monday.

"Last week my client experienced a seizure and on medical advice was admitted to Constantiaberg Mediclinic on Friday," said Van Breda's lawyer, Piet Botha.

Van Breda was discharged from hospital at 7pm on Sunday after undergoing tests.

He was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (the most common form of generalised epilepsy) and it came to light that he had previously had petit mal seizures.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation's website, these seizures, also known as "absence seizures" can cause "lapses in awareness, sometimes with staring" and typically "begin and end abruptly [after] only a few seconds''.

Botha has said he will call a neurologist, James Butler, to testify and shed light on Van Breda's claim that he had lost consciousness for two hours and 40 minutes.

The state has contested this claim, contending it was a ruse to paper over the cracks in Van Breda's story of a man in a balaclava breaking in and attacking the family.

Prosecutor Susan Galloway said last week it was strange that Van Breda "had not mentioned to the doctor who saw him on the day of the murders" that he had been unconscious for more than three hours.

Last week, his failure to go to the aid of his family members during the attack was highlighted, as was his sitting in the kitchen smoking while waiting for paramedics to arrive.