Barbie lodges appeal papers
2010-03-24 10:52
Johannesburg - Convicted child molester Cézanne Visser, also known as Advocate Barbie, has lodged a court affidavit to appeal against her conviction, Beeld newspaper reported on Wednesday.
In the 151-page sworn statement she argues that she has more than a reasonable chance of success in her appeal.
Visser argues that she suffered from battered woman syndrome while living with her co-accused Dirk Prinsloo, who fled South Africa to avoid the case and has since landed in trouble with authorities in Belarus.
The syndrome "cuts through the barriers of intelligence and intelligence plays no role", states Visser, who passed two law degrees with honours, according to Beeld.
Self esteem
Her "low self esteem and naïveté" played a role in how Prinsloo manipulated her, the affidavit says.
Also, the court did not take into account by how much she based her self esteem on her body.
"For a woman, my body symbolised my entire personality," said Visser, who had breast implants when she was living with Prinsloo.
In February, Visser only spent about an hour-and-a-half behind bars after being sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing young girls and women.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria refused Visser leave to appeal against his finding on the merits of the case.
Bail
But he nevertheless granted her bail of R10 000 pending the outcome of her application to the Supreme Court of Appeal for leave to appeal.
Visser was jailed for 11 sex-related charges, including indecently assaulting two teenage girls and soliciting a teenager to commit indecent acts; indecently assaulting two women and benefiting from the indecent assault of a third; defrauding a children's home and possession and manufacturing of child pornography.
Prinsloo is currently serving jail time in Belarus for an attempted bank robbery.
- SAPA
