Legal history made as Lotz accused testifies in court.(News)

BYLINE: KAREN BREYTENBACH

LEGAL history has been made by Judge Deon van Zyl's allowing the defence for Fred van der Vyver, accused of murdering his girlfriend, Inge Lotz, to reopen its case halfway through final arguments to allow the young man to testify.

Pale but confident, the 25-year-old took the stand in a packed courtroom yesterday afternoon.

The defence had begun presenting its closing arguments two weeks ago, but after the judge noted that Van der Vyver's alibi had not been tested in cross-examination, it brought Henri Viljoen, SC, on board and applied to reopen its case. Van der Vyver had declined to testify.

The state opposed the …