The state is seeking to overturn the acquittal of Jeremy Sias for the murder of showjumper Meghan Cremer in August 2019.

A Cape Argus report says prosecutors are honing in on the testimony of defence witness Linda Mohr, whom State Advocate Susan Galloway described as having provided overly ‘hostile’ evidence.

During the murder trial, the state argued that Sias broke into Cremer’s cottage, killed her and stuffed her body in the boot of her car before getting rid of the body.

In his defence, Sias said he had found her car abandoned and took it for a joyride before finding her body in the boot, after which he dumped her body.

However, it emerged that there were no signs of a struggle or tampering at the crime scene, leading to Sias’ acquittal on murder charges, but conviction on two counts of theft and defeating the administration of justice.

Mohr testified that she identified Cremer as the driver of a vehicle captured on CCTV leaving the property on the day she disappeared.

Galloway raised concerns over the reliability of Mohr’s identification, as the lawyer punched holes in her statements regarding the appearance of a ponytail – a crucial detail in the identification process.

Galloway said: ‘When she was asked by the prosecutor about the ponytail, she amended her version on the stand. It appears her initial reasoning for identifying (Cremer) as the driver falls away.’

Galloway said Mohr had a strong emotional connection to the case, but suggested a reluctance to fully co-operate with the police.

In response, Sias’ advocate, Bash Sibda, contended that Mohr’s testimony actually undermined the state’s case.

Sibda elaborated on Mohr’s previous attempts to present her findings to police, alleging dismissive behaviour from the police.

He added: ‘Had it been Sias, they would’ve confronted the evidence of the footage to the accused (sic).’

Full Cape Argus report