Court to decide on Sarah Lee Naidoo's bail as evidence tampering claims emerge
Sarah Lee Naidoo awaits a pivotal bail decision as court testimonies unveil shocking allegations of evidence tampering in the murder case of Julian Ramiah.
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THE State and defence concluded their cases on Wednesday regarding the bail application of Sarah Lee Naidoo, who is accused of murder and now awaits the court's decision.
Naidoo, 29, faces charges for allegedly stabbing and killing Julian ‘Julz’ Ramiah during a violent confrontation at his Bloubergstrand apartment on September 1, 2025.
The arguments from both sides will continue today at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, overseen by Magistrate Alida Theart.
On Wednesday, further testimony was presented from the defence and its witness, Yusuf Sayid Ghooram, who arrived at the scene with his wife after police had responded.
Ghooram testified that he reached the location after Ramiah was discovered in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds.
During cross-examination, he stated that Naidoo preferred that he and his wife take care of the minor child. Ghooram acknowledged that he had taken photographs of the crime scene and was questioned by State prosecutor Adiel Jansen about whether he had compromised the integrity of the scene; he denied it.
Jansen pressed Ghooram on whether his movements around the apartment after the incident had contaminated the crime scene. Ghooram confirmed that he had entered the flat following police instructions to collect the child's belongings, who was present during the murder, but he denied any compromise to the scene.
Jansen countered that the State's case includes allegations of tampering related to a plate with a shopper card and a rolled-up banknote.
In her bail application, Naidoo’s mother and sister submitted affidavits that were read into the record, detailing the child born from the extramarital relationship between the deceased Ramiah and Naidoo. They expressed how the child missed his mother and often cried for her when they played videos of her.
The grandmother and mother conveyed their heartbreak over the separation from the child and highlighted his need for her.
According to Naidoo's family, she is described as “a good mother” who wishes to be reunited with her son.
For the State, which opposes Naidoo's bail application, investigating officer Jacinta Govender, stationed at Table View SAPS, found Naidoo sitting next to Ramiah, who was in a pool of blood and had multiple stab wounds, including to his heart and lung, when she responded to a domestic violence complaint on September 1, 2025.
Govender also noted traces of “drug use” at the scene.
She further stated that Naidoo did not contact police or emergency services following the incident.
While Naidoo's family argues for her release to reunite with her son, the State highlighted that the family of the deceased vehemently opposes her bail, noting that the child was present during the murder.
“The strong circumstances are evident, and the brutality of the killing is a further aggravating factor. She has to date given no credible reason for stabbing the deceased; in fact, everything points toward it being planned,” Govender submitted.
The matter continues.