Govt: Dewani hospitalised after suicide attempt

Honeymoon murder accused Shrien Dewani has been hospitalised after an apparent suicide attempt, the Justice Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Indeed ...we were notified by legal representatives of Dewani that he was admitted to hospital [on Sunday] in what appears to be a suicide attempt,” spokesperson Tlali Tlali said.

Tlali could not say how Dewani allegedly attempted suicide, nor whether it would affect his extradition hearing set for early May.

“Dates have been put in place. Given this development, this is possibly what could be brought by legal representatives [to court] ...

It’s for the court to attach weight to that ... any outcome is possible,” he said.

Dewani’s publicist, Max Clifford, was quoted on BBC News online as saying that Dewani was being treated at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

‘Suffering for some time’
He would not confirm reports on an alleged attempted suicide.

“Shrien has been suffering for some time. His family and friends have been getting increasingly concerned about him,” Clifford said. “He was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon and doctors were concerned because he’s been getting weaker and weaker.”

Dewani’s legal team is reportedly examining how the trial would be conducted if an extradition order were granted.

Anni Dewani, from Sweden, was shot when the newlywed couple’s taxi was allegedly hijacked in Gugulethu on the outskirts of Cape Town on November 13.

She was found dead in the back of the abandoned vehicle with a bullet wound to her neck.

Driver Zola Tongo was sentenced to 18 years in prison in South Africa after he submitted a plea agreement that implicated Dewani in an alleged hit on Anni.—Sapa