Barbie sex trial starts at last
2005-01-25 13:54
Pretoria - The trial of two Pretoria advocates on allegations of sexual violations of women and girls began in the city's high court on Tuesday, over two years after they were first arrested.
But proceedings were again delayed shortly after kicking off in the late morning when Cezanne Visser and her sweetheart Dirk Prinsloo queried the addition of a 16th charge to the indictment.
Lawyers for the two told the court that the latest documents obtained from the prosecution made mention of only 15 charges.
Andre Fourie, for the State, apologised to the court for an administrative error that led to the 16th charge being dropped in trial notice documents recently served on the defence.
Judge Essop Patel, who is hearing the case with two assessors, adjourned the matter until after the lunch break to give the accused time to instruct their lawyers on the 16th charge.
Visser and Prinsloo are expected to plead to the charges when the court resumes at 14:00.
The pair is out on bail of R4 000 each. They were first arrested in December 2002. Charges against them were withdrawn in July the following year after several court delays.
But the State re-opened the case and the couple was re-arrested a few days later.
Drugged their victims
The pair stands accused of raping a child and a woman on different occasions - in each case allegedly drugging their victim first.
There are three charges of soliciting a 15-year-old girl to commit indecent acts on different occasions. In the alternative, they are charged with exposing themselves to the girl and/or performing sexual acts in front of her and/or showing her pornographic material.
The couple is also charged with paying another minor to perform a variety of sexual acts - including full intercourse with Prinsloo.
There are four counts of indecent assault, two of them involving an 11-year-old girl and the others two different women.
It is alleged they had shown the child pornographic films, exposed themselves to her, and had sexual intercourse and performed other sexual acts in front of her. They also allegedly forced her to walk around naked at their home.
The State alleges the couple committed fraud by pretending to be married for the purposes of obtaining temporary supervision over minors from a children's home, in order to abuse them.
Other charges include one of possessing child pornography, two of manufacturing such material, and one of possessing 12.2g of dagga.
There is also a charge of assault against Prinsloo alone, involving a former employee of the pair.
Visser came into the public eye after a failed bid to become a pop star and because of her surgically enhanced bosom. She has been nicknamed "Advocate Barbie" after the blonde, busty plastic doll.
- SAPA