Is smiling Dewani now mentally fit to face trial? Suspect seen sharing joke with staff member at psychiatric hospital after being extradited over wife's murder during their honeymoon

Shrien Dewani smiling and joking in grounds of Cape Town hospital

Dewani is set to stand trial for murder of his wife Anni in 2010

After being extradited from Britain last month, he has been in care

His lawyers are only allowed to consult him for 30-minutes at a time

The 34-year-old has a month left of treatment at Valkenberg hospital



Grinning broadly as he strolls through a high-security psychiatric hospital, these pictures appear to show that honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani may soon stand trial.

Dressed in shorts, trainers and a sweatshirt and clutching a bottle of water, the 34-year old Briton appeared to share a joke with staff in the Valkenberg hospital in Cape Town.

He is believed to be flanked by a guard and a nurse who is helping to treat him for mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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All smiles: Murder suspect Shrien Dewani may soon stand trial as he was seen smiling and joking in the grounds of a Cape Town psychiatric hospital

Dewani has been at the hospital since being extradited from Britain last month accused of masterminding the murder of his wife, Anni, during their honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010.

He takes a daily half hour walk with the same pair along the hospital’s perimeter fence which gives him spectacular views of Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

One onlooker said: ‘If you didn’t know who they were, they looked like three relaxed ordinary blokes.’

Dewani seemed in very different spirits than his last public appearance earlier this month when he stared forward, emotionless, in a black suit and tie as he stood in the dock at a five minute pre-trial hearing in the Western Cape’s High Court.

The court heard Dewani’s mental condition has improved to the extent that he could soon face trial.

Improving: Dewani, who was extradited last month, has been treated at Valkenberg hospital since his arrival, and a judge has ordered for him to be in care for another month, when hopefully a trial date will be set

Psychiatric care: The 34-year-old British businessman appeared to share a joke with a member of staff at the hospital as he went for a walk in the grounds Communication issues: Dewani's lawyer says that although he is cooperating, they only have access to him for 30 minutes at a time, during which Dewani struggles to concentrate

On trial: Shrien Dewan is accused of masterminding the murder of his wife, Anni, during their honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010

His lawyer, Francois van Zyl, said that Dewani ‘has been fully co-operative and his condition has improved’ since he was returned to South Africa last month.

But he added: 'We have been told not to consult with him for more than 30 minutes at a time and even that has proved frustrating because of his lack of ability to concentrate.’

Judge President John Hlophe agreed that Dewani should continue to be treated at Valkenberg until next month, when it is hoped a trial date will be set.

If he is not deemed fit to be tried within 18 months of arrival, South African officials have agreed he can return to Britain.

Dewani, from Bristol, denies employing a gang of local criminals to pretend to hijack the taxi he and his wife were travelling in as it passed through a notoriously dangerous township outside Cape Town.

Looking better: Dewani's mental health appears to have significantly improved since he started his High Court battle against his extradition in 2011

Swedish-born Anni Dewani was just 28, when she was murdered in Cape Town, South Africa, allegedly by a gang of local criminals hired by her new husband to fake a carjacking

The gang let the taxi’s South African driver and Dewani out unharmed before driving to a remote part of a neighbouring township and shooting his 28-year-old bride in the neck, it is alleged.

Dewani was arrested in connection with the crime after he returned home to Britain and fought a long battle against extradition to South Africa claiming he should not be forced from the UK to face trial until he had recovered from mental health problems.

Four men he allegedly recruited into his plot had confessed their involvement and pointed the finger of blame at him.

Dewani’s family have said in a statement that he was ‘committed to proving [his] innocence’.