Home>News>Gregg Pettigrew accused of murder
Gregg Pettigrew accused of murder
News South Africa

Gregg Pettigrew accused of murder

Gregg Pettigrew, the soap star accused of murdering his boyfriend, had a history of run-ins with the authorities and even made South African LGBTQ+ history once.

Pettigrew, 51, is accused of fatally shooting his 29-year-old lover Dean Jeran in their Kempton Park cottage .

The landlord summoned police to the scene. Pettigrew was found extremely sedated in bed near to Jeran’s body. Pills recovered nearby indicate that he attempted suicide by overdosing after allegedly shooting Jeran.

Initially, it was reported that an actor from the soap opera 7de Laan was implicated, leading to suspicion about the identity of the alleged killer.

Pettigrew, who defines himself as an actor, director, and cabaret performer with over 30 years of experience on Facebook, is best known for his part as Ge in the television series Getroud Met Rugby.

He’s done concerts as his drag alter ego, Falicity Spitfire. A sassy drag queen with flaming red hair and kept audiences entertained from the start of a show to the end.

Gregg was the winner and was the winner of a 2020 edition of the food reality show Come Dine Me South Africa.

He directed a local production of the legendary LGBT Broadway drama Love! Valour! Compassion! in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2021 and 2022.

Gregg Pettigrew and his former partner were accused of preying on the LGBTQ+ community in Johannesburg. Pettigrew, on the other hand, made news in 2014 for reasons unconnected to his showbiz profession. He and Australian John Pettigrew, then known as Gregg Wiggill, became the first same-sex couple to marry in a South African prison centre.

The two guys married at Johannesburg’s Lindela Repatriation Centre.

Wiggill, also known as the Melville Fraudster, and Pettigrew were accused of scamming members of Johannesburg’s gay and lesbian community, including clients of the city’s then-popular Oh Bar, in 2008 and 2009.

Queerlife Editor Taliesin Cormach and Merline St. John were also taken for a ride, buying a huge quantity of goods only to have them disappear when arriving to collect these paid for goods.

While awaiting trial in an East London prison, they were imprisoned for fraud and first refused the permission to marry by the Department of Correctional Services.

While they were initially allowed to stay in the same cell, they later filed a discrimination lawsuit against the prison chief after being separated due to allegations that they were having sex.

They escaped after being released on bail and went on the run until they were apprehended again. Wiggill was subsequently sentenced to probation, but Pettigrew was acquitted.

Their marriage plans were thwarted further when Pettigrew was detained in a repatriation centre because his visitor’s visa had expired. Because Pettigrew was in the country illegally, the Department of Home Affairs also refused to allow them to marry.

The pair went to the Johannesburg High Court, which found in their favour and ordered the department to allow the men to marry. They are said to have divorced subsequently, and Pettigrew, who retained his married surname, began his romance with Jeran about 2020.

Pettigrew was due in court on Monday to face murder and possession of an unauthorised handgun and ammunition charges. This has been postponed until he is released from the hospital, which is likely later this week, according to the Daily Sun.

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply