Satanist: Trial to go ahead

2003-02-11 23:34

Antoinette Pienaar

Pretoria - The application for an acquittal by Robert Malcolm Classen, suspected of kidnapping three children and raping them during an alleged Satanic ritual, was turned down in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.

This comes after the defence argued that testimony on bloody scenes of 30 child murders, skeletons that came to life, 25 whip lashes and a statue of the devil with eyes that can move was evidence of a seven-year old with a "fertile imagination".

However, acting judge Lettie Malope found that there was enough evidence to continue with the case.

The girl and her two brothers, then aged 9 and 11, were allegedly kidnapped from a block of flats in Pretoria, in September 2000, and were raped and indecently assaulted.

The defence argued that the girl had been influenced by rumours she heard from other children in the area because they regularly discussed the accused.

The girl testified that Classen murdered about 30 children by cutting their throats. The children's heads were apparently chopped off and Classen kept these in a cupboard. A lot of blood allegedly splashed against her face.

She alleged that she was given 25 lashes with a whip. The defence argued that a seven-year-old could not survive such a lashing.

She also alleged that Classen had a statue of the devil and that the eyes of the statue followed Classen. She said Classen built living beings from skeletons.

Classen testified under oath on Tuesday that he was never possessed by demons.

A tattoo of a "Satanist" poem on his calf is allegedly a poem written by Jim Morrison of The Doors.

Classen said he often saw the two boys in Shubartpark, Pretoria, but not the girl.

Shortly before his arrest, the girl, her mother and a man apparently walked past him.

The girl pointed to him soon after and her mother started screaming hysterically that he had raped her daughter and that she would ensure that he went to prison.

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- Beeld