Rohde pathologist gets day to swot up on academic research

The murder trial of property mogul Jason Rohde was adjourned for a day on Wednesday to give a state witness time to prepare for further cross-examination.

Graham Van der Spuy‚ one of the advocates defending Rohde — who has denied murdering his wife Susan and fabricating her suicide — wanted to ask state pathologist Dr Deidre Abrahams about academic papers on forensics.

“My lady‚ this is now becoming a literature discussion‚” Abrahams told Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe when Van der Spuy asked her about documents with which she was not familiar.

State prosecutor Louis van Niekerk said Abrahams should be given time to read articles referred to if she was going to be questioned about them.

Salie-Hlophe agreed‚ saying: “I don’t think any expert can read one line and comment fairly.”

The trial will continue on Thursday.