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'Abused' girl takes the stand
26/03/2008 14:02 - (SA)
Pretoria - An eight-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually abused for months by Andrew Jordaan, the man accused of murdering and raping Sheldean Human, on Wednesday took the stand behind closed doors.
Pretoria High Court Judge Chris Eksteen ordered that the girl must testify through an intermediary by means of closed-circuit television. He also ordered that her evidence must be heard in camera.
This followed an application by prosecutor Andre Fourie, who submitted that it would not be in the child's best emotional interest to testify in an open court.
A police social worker, L'Marie Strauss, said in a report the girl was at a developmental age where she could not think abstractly and had problems with the time and place concept.
She said a child who was sexually abused, often accommodated the abuse because of feelings of guilt. They believed they were naughty or bad and because of this often gave little information about sexual crimes.
This was also the case with the girl, who believed others saw her as bad, naughty and ugly. She had feelings of helplessness, felt guilty and embarrassed and feared being stigmatised.
Strauss said the fact that the girl had only later on revealed the alleged sexual crimes against her formed part of the dynamics of sexual abuse and the gradual revelation process.
She was of the opinion that giving evidence in open court would increase the potential for secondary victimisation.
Quality of evidence
The special relationship between the child and her alleged abuser also increased the risk of the child being influenced and could even lead to her withdrawing her revelation.
Evidence in court could bring added stress, which could further damage the child's mental health and could negatively influence the quality of her evidence, Strauss added.
Jordaan has denied guilt to charges of murdering, abducting and raping seven-year-old Sheldean Human in February last year.
Her decomposed body was found in a storm water ditch in Pretoria West 15 days after she disappeared.
He also denied charges of illegal dagga possession, as well as charges of repeatedly raping and indecently assaulting the eight-year-old witness.
The trial continues.
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