Barbie: 'Cop grudge' claimed
2005-02-10 17:22
Pretoria - A policewoman probing alleged sex crimes against advocates Cezanne Visser and Dirk Prinsloo was accused on Thursday of having a grudge against Prinsloo after he laid a complaint against her.
Piet Coetzee, for Prinsloo, told the High Court his client had laid a complaint against superintendent Daleen du Plessis long before his arrest.
The complaint had resulted in departmental charges being brought against Du Plessis.
The complaint apparently related to an altercation they had when Prinsloo was not satisfied with the outcome of investigations into criminal charges he had registered at the police station where Du Plessis headed the detective unit.
Coetzee said his client would testify that Du Plessis had begged Prinsloo to withdraw the complaint as it had hampered her promotion for more than two years. She denied this under cross-examination.
Claims it was her duty
Coetzee accused Du Plessis of re-opening an attempted murder investigation against Prinsloo out of spite.
"It is not true," she said. "It was my duty."
Coetzee also accused her of holding back the investigation so that his client would be arrested in the December holidays, and of employing task force members to arrest him for "maximum sensation".
The couple were arrested at their Raslouw, Pretoria, home on December 19 2002.
They face a total of 16 charges related to alleged sexual violations of women and girls - including two counts of rape.
The attempted murder charge against Prinsloo was initially withdrawn because the complainant, an alleged burglar he apparently shot, could not be traced.
The investigation was re-opened on Du Plessis' instruction, and the count was added to the charge sheet when the couple appeared before Pretoria magistrate's court in the present matter.
Being heard in different court
The case was thrown out of court in July 2003, when the magistrate refused a further postponement.
The couple were arrested a few days later, the charge sheet re-formulated, and the matter eventually referred to the High Court.
This time, the attempted murder was not included on the charge sheet.
Prosecutor André Fourie said on Thursday a decision had been taken to prosecute the attempted-murder charge separately in the regional court. The matter was still pending.
The trial continues on Friday.
- SAPA