Cape Town - The case against the man accused of killing 5-year-old Xavier Mitchell has once again been postponed.
Mervyn White briefly appeared in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday for the murder of the child, who was stabbed to death on August 7.
Xavier had been in the care of his nanny, who is also his neighbour, when the incident happened.
After Xavier was stabbed, White reportedly ran from the scene and was later caught by residents who allegedly assaulted him.
During his third appearance this week, the court was informed that White had been sent to the district surgeon at Karl Bremer Hospital, where the court heard he was found to suffere from psychosis.
White had spoken about aeroplanes, and said he was not aware of the murder.
Magistrate Sean Lea said according to the evaluation from the hospital, the defendant didn’t understand the charge.
“He showed symptoms of psychosis and he didn’t have a good judgement of what was happening.
“He was delusional and seemed out of touch with reality,” the magistrate said.
White was then referred to Valkenberg Hospital for psychiatric evaluation, while the criminal case had to be postponed.
Xavier’s father, Ricardo Mitchell, said: “The person with the Valkenberg evaluation results at the hospital is on leave and the case had to be postponed until next month. The accused remains behind bars.”
White was described by his neighbours as someone who would have violent outbursts.
Xavier’s mother, Sylvia Mitchell, previously said: “I felt angry because the accused was standing in the dock and smiling the whole time. What about my child who is no longer with us? But he can stand up in court and smile ...”
Xavier was stabbed three times with a knife in the back.