Experts dismiss dog sex claims

2004-02-23 13:04

Johannesburg - Two animal experts on Monday dismissed allegations that a Gauteng girl's employers could have forced her to have sexual intercourse with a dog.

A report to this effect by veterinarians Dr Melvyn Greenberg and Dr Peter Ivans was presented in the Kempton magistrate's court by the defence.

"The allegations by the girl are highly unlikely," said Ivans of Pretoria University's department of animal production studies.

Brother and sister Cheri Wang, 24, and Ken Wang, 26, are accused of beating up their domestic worker, Emilia Sithole. They also allegedly shot her and then forced her to have sexual intercourse with their black Rottweiler in April 2003.

This was allegedly punishment because Sithole, who worked at their family plot in Kempton Park, reportedly did not do her cleaning work properly.

The Wangs were charged with indecent assault, pointing a firearm, discharging a gun in a residential area, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The latter charge related to their allegedly forcing Sithole's head under water in a fish pond.

They have pleaded not guilty to all charges and were out on bail of R20 000 each.

In his report, Greenberg said: "An intact male dog has no pheromonal or odoriserous attraction towards a human female. The male dog has no inherent desire for sexual copulation with a human female.

Anatomically incompatible

"The dog's penis is anatomically incompatible with female genitalia. The dog possesses a bulb on its erect penis and this becomes locked by a circular vaginal muscle ring in the bitch in order for ejaculation to occur," Greenberg said.

He said a male dog cannot be changed to perform sexual intercourse with a human female. The dog would have to be masturbated, held under appropriate restraints and forced by a human to enter a female vagina. A minimum of six men would be required for such an exercise.

Greenberg said if the dog was in the correct position for intercourse it would have bitten the complainant on her neck and head, not on the leg.

"In my opinion the dog would have been used as an excuse for organised rape and sodomy by the accused," said Greenberg, and animal behaviour specialist.

"Bite wounds on the victim's leg would have been inflicted by a restrained struggling dog."

Sithole is expected to give evidence for the State in camera later on Monday.

It was also heard in court that a radiologist had determined that Sithole was not a minor, aged 15, but was approximately 19.

- SAPA