Cape Town - 130722 - Diamond merchant Dudley John Bernicchi (62), accused of murdering Ryan Ivaniservic appeared at the Cape Town Regional Court. With him is unknown male. PICTURE: THOMAS HOLDER. REPORTER: JADE OTTO Cape Town - 130722 - Diamond merchant Dudley John Bernicchi (62), accused of murdering Ryan Ivaniservic appeared at the Cape Town Regional Court. With him is unknown male. PICTURE: THOMAS HOLDER. REPORTER: JADE OTTO
Cape Town - A diamond trader has testified that he shot and killed another dealer in self-defence inside his office in the Picbel Parkade nearly two years ago.
Dudley Bernicchi took the stand in the Cape Town Regional Court and told of the events leading up to the shooting on November 2, 2011.
Bernicchi, a master diamond cutter, said he met Ryan Ivaniservic three years before the shooting. The pair had a close business relationship and often conducted diamond deals together, mostly agreed by handshake.
Bernicchi said he gave Ivaniservic R600 000 in borrowed money for diamonds Ivaniservic wanted to sell in June 2011. But then Ivaniservic said he was unable to deliver the diamonds because his brother, who was bringing them from Johannesburg to Cape Town, was robbed. Bernicchi started digging and established that Ivaniservic’s brother had never been robbed and that he would not get the diamonds.
Ivaniservic repaid Bernicchi R140 000. The two were in contact in the days leading up to the shooting, but the balance was never repaid.
On the day of the incident, Ivaniservic arrived at Bernicchi’s office to talk about the money. “I went to sit behind my desk in my office… a confrontation took place. We ended up having a heated argument that got more and more out of control.”
Bernicchi said he was certain that Ivaniservic had a firearm because he always carried one.
“Ryan put his head down, and said the words ‘in too deep, in too deep’. He pushed back his chair, jumped up out of his chair and went for his gun.
“I grabbed my firearm… and fired… because he was going to shoot me,” Bernicchi said.
Bernicchi, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, told the court on Monday that the man he borrowed the R600 000 from had handed him over to notorious businessman Mark Lifman and alleged Sexy Boys gang bosses Jerome and Colin Booysen to collect the debt.
Bernicchi reported a case of intimidation to the Hawks, who are investigating the allegations.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Cape Argus
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