Jordaan: Cops tortured me
27/03/2008 16:25  - (SA)  

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Pretoria - The man accused of murdering and raping seven-year-old Sheldean Human claims he was severely tortured by police and coached about what to tell top cop Piet Byleveld about where the body could be found.

This emerged during cross-examination of Director Byleveld, who testified in a trial-within-a-trial about the admissibility of a confession and pointing-out of the alleged murder scene by Andrew Jordaan.

Jordaan has pleaded not guilty to Sheldean's murder, abduction and rape, as well as to charges of repeatedly raping and indecently assaulting another seven-year-old girl.

Counsel for Jordaan, Khomotso Tlouane, put it to Byleveld that Jordaan was taken to the Brixton office of Byleveld's colleague, Captain Igantius van Aardt, before being interviewed by Byleveld.

Jordaan claimed he was tied to a chair in Van Aardt's office and blindfolded before wire was wound around his feet and electrical shocks applied to his feet and private parts.

He claimed he was so scared and felt so threatened because of the torture and threats by one of the policemen who had transported him to Brixton that he dared not deviate from what Van Aardt had told him to say about the place where Sheldean's body could be found.

According to Jordaan, Van Aardt had given directions to the place where the body was eventually discovered in a storm water ditch in the veld and it was the first time he had ever been to that place in his life.

A good relationship

Byleveld said he was surprised by Jordaan's claims and why he had not mentioned it either during their interview or thereafter when he appeared in court. He said he and Jordaan had a good relationship and Jordaan had apparently regarded him as a hero.

He insisted that Jordaan's statement to him had directly led to the discovery of the body and that he had been "quite amenable" to make the pointing-out.

He said Van Aardt only become involved after Jordaan had already given him the information and when he phoned the officer to be in charge of the pointing-out.

The trial continues.