An 11-year-old girl was allegedly made to watch acts of oral and simulated sex while spending a weekend with two Pretoria advocates in 2002, the city’s high court heard on Thursday.
The girl was allegedly taken into a bathroom by the pair, where Cezanne Visser undressed and told the child to touch her surgically enhanced breasts, according to a caregiver at the children’s home the girl attended.
Visser then allegedly showed the child a tattoo of her then lover Dirk Prinsloo’s first name on her private parts, Veronica Shepherd told the court. Visser allegedly used a vibrator in front of the child, and offered to buy her one.
The girl was then allegedly told to touch Prinsloo’s private parts as he was lying in the bath, but she refused, Shepherd said.
”Miss Visser then had oral sex with Mr Prinsloo”.
The girl was allegedly also made to look at pornographic videos and magazines and was asked to walk around naked.
”She was told not to mention anything to us about what happened.”
The girl related the claims to Shepherd, her house mother, the Monday after spending a weekend with the couple in March 2002.
The court has heard how Visser allegedly claimed to be a married women in order to secure children’s visits to their home, and that she had asked for ”pretty” girls so she could share her modelling experience.
Shepherd said the 11-year-old was very upset on her return the home on Sunday afternoon.
That evening, the child told Shepherd she had had her legs shaved by Visser. She was afraid of getting into trouble because this was not allowed.
The next day, the girl was still clearly upset, Shepherd said. When she asked her if she was alright, the child told her about the rest of the alleged events.
”It just bubbled out of her.”
Shepherd told the court the girl had suffered from a stress-induced skin condition which worsened after the weekend and cleared-up when she was put on tranquilising medication.
Under cross-examination, she was unable to explain why she had left references to the alleged oral sex episode out of her statement to the police.
She denied assertions by Prinsloo’s counsel, Philip Lourens, that the girl had complained to the couple about maltreatment at the children’s home.
The child allegedly claimed Shepherd had made her strip naked and stand in a circle with other children who then had to kiss her on the mouth and touch her body.
She also denied having called the girl a stupid slut.
”This is the first I hear of it,” Shepherd said.
Lourens said Prinsloo denied all the allegations levelled against him.
Shepherd said she doubted the child was telling stories merely to get attention.
”She cried heart-rendingly,” he said.
In the morning, a social worker was questioned why certain serious allegations against Visser and Prinsloo came to light only months after initial complaints by the 11-year-old and another girl (15) who also spent a weekend with the couple.
Among allegations not initially reported were that Visser had used a vibrator in front of the younger girl and had touched Prinsloo’s private parts in front of the older child.
The girls’ initial complaints omitted these claims and contained lesser allegations, Loubser contended for Prinsloo while cross-examining Marlene Malan.
She sought to explain the omissions by saying it was possible the girls had been so traumatised that they relegated these facts to their subconscious. It was also possible they felt too embarrassed to talk about it.
On Wednesday, Loubser accused Malan of having helped ”build” a case against Prinsloo and Visser — saying the charges appeared to have grown in seriousness as time progressed.
Prinsloo faces 16 charges and Visser 15 in relation to alleged sexual violation of women and girls.
The trial continues on Friday with final cross-examination of Shepherd. – Sapa