Robin-Lee Francke|Published
A fourth witness took the stand in the trial against Tiffany Meek in the Johannesburg High Court sitting in Palm Ridge on Monday, where Meek is on trial for murdering her son Jayden-Lee.
Before anyone was called to take the witness stand, exhibits were placed into the court’s record.
Photographs taken during the in loco inspection of the apartment complex where Meek and her son lived were handed in as exhibits.
A sketch lineout of the flat’s interior and apartment block was handed in as an exhibit.
In August, the judge, along with legal counsel, conducted an inspection at the Swazi Place apartment complex in Fleurhof, where Meek and 11-year-old Jayden-Lee lived.
While there was no filming of the inspection by the court, police photographers and other personnel were on-site to assist in detailing the events to be placed on the record during the trial.
Crime scene photographer
The fourth witness, a warrant officer from the Krugersdorp Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), was called to the stand.
The officer, with 15 years' experience at the LCRC, is responsible for taking crime scene photographs and collecting evidence and was also present during the court’s inspection of Swazi Place.
During his testimony, the officer verified and explained pictures taken during the inspection, some of which showed Meek standing at the complex’s gate, at the door of Jayden-Lee’s room, and pointing out where her son’s body was found.
The officer also testified he was called to the hospital where Jayden-Lee was taken and arrived around midday on May 14, 2025.
The court heard that, as he got into the parking area of the hospital, he was called and told to go back to Swazi Place to take pictures where Jayden-Lee was found. At the time, he was not aware that the two incidents (Swazi Place and the hospital) were connected.
A tired-looking Meek just stared at the screen as explanations were given. At times, it seemed she was dozing off as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
A picture of a K9 dog was also shown in court with the animal on Jayden-Lee’s bed with a red duvet.
“I asked the sergeant what it meant with the dog on the bed. He said it was a hit,” the warrant officer told the court.
He told the court he understood the term ‘a hit’ as the dog finding bodily fluids.
Jayden-Lee was reported missing on May 13, 2025, after he apparently failed to return home from school.
His lifeless, half-naked body was found the next day, near the staircase in the Swazi Place complex, just metres from the front door of his home.
Meek was arrested a month later and has been in custody since, following a failed bail application.
The case resumes on Tuesday.
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