The death of Susan Shaw on a remote country estate in June 2007 is again under scrutiny by KZN High Court (Durban) Judge Peter Olsen due to a R9.4m damages claim against the state by her husband says a report in The Witness. Hilton Shaw alleges he was maliciously arrested and prosecuted for her murder.

In 2009 he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. However, in 2011, a full Bench of the KZN High Court upheld his appeal and set aside the verdict and sentence. Questioning by Shaw’s advocate, Craig Webster SC, in the civil trial focused on statements and evidence of two state witnesses in the case – Doris Ndlovu and Simon Madladla, both workers at other houses at the estate. They said they heard a woman screaming, dogs barking, heard gunshots and saw ‘shadows’ moving around the Shaws’ verandah at the time Susan was allegedly shot.

Pingla Hemraj SC, for the state, pointed to the evidence of a member of the Crime Intelligence Unit who said when police got to the scene of the shooting they found Shaw ‘highly inebriated’ and that there was evidence the scene had been ‘tampered with’. This included blood on a sheet and pillow concealed under a duvet and chairs that were ‘well placed’ to cover blood spots on the floor of the bar where Susan had been seated. There was also a suggestion that an attempt was made to ‘wipe blood’ off a carpet.

Full report in The Witness (subscription needed)