Theunis Olivier was of a sober and sane mind when he sodomised and later strangled six-year-old Steven Siebert in Plettenberg Bay, the Cape High Court heard on Monday.
In his statement submitted to the court, Olivier said he was normal when he committed the crime. ”I admit that I acted with the necessary criminal capacity in that I was able to distinguish between right and wrong and able to appreciate the wrongfulness of my action.
”I’m truly remorseful for the crimes that I have committed and respectfully ask for mercy,” he said.
His admission contradicts his not-guilty plea made to a lower court a year ago, where he had said that he was not of a sane mind when he committed the offence and therefore could not be held responsible for his actions.
However, a psychiatric evaluation revealed that he was fit to stand trial.
After more than two hours of consultation between Olivier and his lawyer, Thobias Barnardie, the accused emerged from the court’s holding cells with a statement detailing how he had sodomised and later murdered the victim.
”At my place of residence, I sexually abused him for about 15 to 20 minutes. I [then] proceeded to kill him by strangling him to death to prevent him from later identifying me,” read part of the accused’s statement.
Oliver, who initially had kept his head down to avoid photographers, later looked up as he addressed Judge Essa Moosa.
Smartly dressed in a grey suit, Olivier, who has been in custody since his arrest in 2005, looked in good health.
He is charged with the kidnapping, indecent assault and murder of Siebert, whose body was found on Christmas Eve 2005 in dense bushes in the grounds of 30 Cordovan Street, Plettenberg Bay.
Shortly after his arrest, it emerged that Olivier, who used the name Raymond Sinclair, was previously arrested on charges of indecent assault. However, the charges were dropped.
Moosa postponed the case to Tuesday to give the state and the defence enough time to agree on the way forward. — Sapa