Cezanne Visser, also known as Advocate Barbie, stayed with her lover Dirk Prinsloo for sex and not because he forced her to, the Pretoria High Court heard on Thursday.
This was the impression gained by a former assistant of Prinsloo, graphic artist Laurie Pieters.
To questions by Visser’s senior counsel, Johan Engelbrecht, Pieters said she thought Visser might have done things she might not otherwise have done to keep Prinsloo happy.
”You do make concessions in a relationship and do things you wouldn’t normally do, but from what I understand, the motivation for her was their good sexual relationship.
”Every conversation when I asked her why she didn’t leave him went back to that he gratified her sexually,” she said.
Visser has denied guilt to 14 charges, including soliciting minors to commit sexual acts, indecent assault, rape and manufacturing child pornography.
She claimed she could not be held accountable because Prinsloo controlled her to such an extent that she ”had no will of her own”.
Pieters said it was true that Visser had addressed Prinsloo as ”her sex god”, but said it was a standing joke in the office and Prinsloo had also addressed Visser as his sex goddess.
She conceded that Prinsloo was abusive towards everyone, including Visser, when he could not get his way and regularly said people were stupid.
Pieters did not agree that one had to go along with Prinsloo when he lost his temper.
”I went against him quite often. When I stood up to him, he backed off. He was a bully and a coward. If you stood up to him, he backed away.”
Pieters said she liked Visser and thought Prinsloo was bad for her.
”I really did everything to get her away from him and out from under his control. The writing was on the wall. He had the potential to destroy her,” Pieters testified.
”So much was odd, strange, immoral and unacceptable. I was on her side. I even offered that she could come and stay with me. She didn’t want to leave.”
Pieters said Visser went to gym every day, sometimes twice a day.
She believed it was because Prinsloo had a fantasy and wanted Visser to look like Barbie doll.
The trial continues. – Sapa