Barbie 'has shown remorse'

2010-02-08 13:01

Former advocate Cezanne Visser arrives at the North Gauteng High Court for the start of sentencing procedures. (Johann Hattingh, Sapa)

Pretoria - Cezanne Visser, also known as advocate Barbie, has shown remorse for the sex related crimes she is convicted of, forensic criminologist Eon Sonnekus told the North Gauteng High Court on Monday.

Testifying in mitigation of sentence, Sonnekus said that during her trial Visser had told the court she "judged" herself.

After many consultations with her following the guilty verdict in October, Sonnekus said Visser told him she was no longer vulnerable to male manipulation.

Throughout the trial, the defence argued that Visser performed and abetted sexual acts on minors because she was under the spell of her then boyfriend Dirk Prinsloo.

Gained a lot of wisdom

Referring to the indecent acts and the pain the victims may have experienced, Sonnekus said Visser had felt the situation was unfortunate.

"If it was my own child it would be unacceptable. It must have been bad for her. She didn't expect it and she could have experienced it as being traumatic," Visser told him.

"She is really showing remorse and she has gained a lot of wisdom," he testified.

The court was asked to take into account in sentencing Visser the fact that she was a first offender and did not have any previous convictions.

Visser was convicted in October of 11 of 14 sex-related charges. These included soliciting a 15-year-old to perform indecent acts, indecently assaulting 11-year-old and 14-year-old girls and the possession and manufacture of child pornography.

Prinsloo was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Belarus court last month for theft, assault and attempted bank robbery. He also faces sex-related charges in the High Court in Pretoria.

- SAPA