One of two former police dog handlers who has pleaded not guilty to charges of needlessly setting their animals on three illegal immigrants in 1998, is to take the stand in his own defence in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday.
The State closed its case against Dino Guiotto and Nicolaas Kenneth Loubser on Wednesday afternoon. Loubser is to start testifying on Thursday.
The men face three charges each of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, one of corruption for allegedly trying to bribe their victims, and a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice for making false registry entries.
Their former colleagues — Lodewyk Christiaan Koch, Robert Benjamin Henzen, Eugene Werner Truter and Jacobus Petrus Smith — pleaded guilty to the same crimes and were convicted in November 2001.
Smith was sentenced to an effective five years in jail, and the other three to four years each.
The six men were arrested in 2000 shortly before the SABC screened a video showing some of them inciting their dogs to bite three illegal Mozambican immigrants near Benoni on January 3, 1998.
They can also be seen assaulting the victims — Gabriel Pedro Timane, Alexandre Pedro Timane and Sylvester Cose.
Koch, Henzen and Truter testified for the State on Tuesday and Wednesday, rejecting claims by Guiotto and Loubser that they were forced to participate in what was termed a ”dog training exercise”, and that they tried to ”protect” the victims unnoticed without getting themselves into trouble.
Defence counsel contended that Loubser knew his dog would not bite, while Guiotto restrained his on a leash to make sure the animal could not get a proper grip on the immigrants.
The State witnesses, however, said Guiotto and Koch sought help with their dogs, and that the ”exercise” was arranged for that purpose.
According to Koch, Guiotto asked for assistance from his seniors when it became clear his dog refused to attack, even after attending dog school. Loubser had a young dog, not yet trained, which he wanted assessed to see whether it was fit for police work.
Guiotto and Loubser claimed they were threatened with their jobs if they refused to take part. They also said they were threatened with physical violence. – Sapa