Honeymoon husband's new bail battle

The British newlywed accused of hiring a hitman to kill his bride is facing a High Court battle over bail.

The South African authorities want to extradite wealthy businessman Shrien Dewani, 30, for conspiracy to murder new wife Anni, 28.

She was found dead in the back of an abandoned taxi in a Cape Town township with a single bullet wound to her neck on November 13.

Lawyers for the South Africans are expected to argue that there are substantial grounds for suspecting Dewani will not surrender for an extradition hearing if he is allowed bail.

Earlier this week a judge at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court said he was satisfied the Bristol care home owner would surrender.

District Judge Howard Riddle said the “powerful facts” in favour of bail included Dewani’s co-operation with the South African police and then the UK police as rumours started of his involvement in the death of his wife Anni, 28.

Judge Riddle said Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, had “the strongest possible community ties”, was well-educated and hard working and had never been in trouble with the police before.

The judge proposed that bail should be allowed on payment of a £250,000 cash surety and Dewani agreeing to electronic tagging, residence at a Bristol address, strict curfew and daily reporting to the police.

But his decision was put on hold to give representatives of the South African Government time to appeal. They will ask Mr Justice Ouseley, sitting in London, to rule that Judge Riddle made errors of law and bail should be refused.

The South African extradition request came after taxi driver Zola Tongo accused Dewani of offering to pay 15,000 rand (£1,400) for his wife’s murder and ordering it to appear like a bungled carjacking as they drove through the notorious township of Gugulethu.