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'I can't see myself doing that'
01/08/2007 08:41 - (SA)
Pretoria - One of the young prisoners accused of almost stabbing two nurses to death at Baviaanspoort prison, east of Pretoria, two years ago, claimed on Tuesday he was not accountable for his actions.
Thabo Amos Masinga, 22, of Mamelodi West, denied guilt to eight charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping, rape, indecent assault and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
In a statement explaining his plea, he said he was in a "state of temporary non-pathological criminal incapacity" due to the use of dagga and "rocks" (cocaine) on that day.
He had no recollection of the incident, but said he "could not see himself doing such a thing".
He said it was the first time he had used cocaine and he had underestimated its effects.
Bleeding profusely
The State alleges that Masinga in March 2005 locked up two nurses, aged 35 and 52, at the prison hospital, forced them to undress, tied them up and gagged them. He allegedly raped one of the women and slit their throats before robbing them of their personal belongings.
The two women were attacked while working night shift at the youth centre of the prison's hospital.
A member of the prison's reaction unit, Albertus van Rooyen, testified how he and other prison employees found the two women in a storeroom, naked and covered in blood.
He had rushed to the scene after an alarm went off at the youth section and hearing someone shouting "He's going to kill them". Several doors had to be kicked down before they reached the nurses.
He remembered the first person into the storeroom saying "Oh my God" and running out again with his head in his hands.
Inside, he found the head of the prison who pointed a firearm at him, but he calmed down after Van Rooyen told him who he was.
On the floor, he saw the two nurses completely naked. One of them looked up and pointed to a gaping wound in her neck, from which she was bleeding profusely. The other was sitting near a door, also with blood on her neck. After covering them up, Van Rooyen and others tried to help them until an ambulance arrived.
The two nurses are in a R4m law suit against the correctional services department, claiming they were not adequately protected.
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