/ 4 October 2005

Advocates’ sex-crimes trial resumes

The sex-crimes trial of Pretoria advocates Dirk Prinsloo and Cezanne Visser resumes in the city’s high court on Tuesday after a six-month break.

The hearing is expected to kick off with evidence from officials of a children’s home from where the couple is alleged to have collected minor girls who were subsequently abused.

The trial was interrupted in May after being side-tracked for several days by complaints from the pair about a picture of them in the nude having been published in the tabloid Die Son.

Charges against the couple include two of rape — one involving a minor and the other a woman. Both alleged victims claim to have been drugged by the couple.

There are three charges of soliciting a 15-year-old girl to commit indecent acts on different occasions. In the alternative, they are charged with exposing themselves to the girl and/or performed sexual acts in front of her and/or showing her pornographic material.

They are charged with four counts of indecent assault — two of them involving an 11-year-old girl and the others two different women.

Also on the indictment are charges of possessing and manufacturing child pornography, and possessing dagga.

Prinsloo faces an additional charge of assaulting one of the complainants.

The state alleges the couple committed fraud by pretending to be married, to obtain temporary supervision over minors from a children’s home in order to abuse them over weekends.

They have pleaded not guilty on all counts and are out on R4 000 bail each.

The trial has been set down until December 12. — Sapa