Dog cops 'there by choice'
2003-02-04 12:30
Pretoria - One of four former policemen convicted of inciting their dogs to bite three illegal immigrants five years ago, rejected the claim on Tuesday that two other colleagues had taken part under duress.
"On the contrary, there was no order, rather a request by the two accused to be present," said Eugene Werner Truter, who is serving a four-year sentence for the crime.
He was testifying in the Pretoria High Court for the State against Nicolaas Kenneth Loubser and Dino Guiotto.
The two men have pleaded not guilty to three charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and one each of corruption and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Their former colleagues - Truter, Jacobus Petrus Smith, Lodewyk Christiaan Koch and Robert Benjamin Henzen - pleaded guilty and were convicted in November 2001.
Smith was sentenced in effect to five years in jail, and the other three to four years each.
The six were arrested in 2000 shortly before the SABC screened a video showing some of the men inciting their dogs to bite three illegal Mozambican immigrants near Benoni on January 3, 1998. They also could be seen assaulting the victims.
'Had to follow orders'
The men were all members of the police's North East Rand dog unit at the time.
The victims were Gabriel Pedro Timane, Alexandre Pedro Timane and Sylvester Cose.
As the video was played in court on Tuesday morning, Truter pointed out Guiotto and Loubser's actions.
In a plea explanation handed in to court, the two said they had no choice at the time but to execute the orders of senior officers. They also claimed they were under threat, both of violence and to their careers.
They said they had not acted with pre-meditation and had no intent. Instead they had acted under duress.
Questioned about this, Truter said the claims were "absolutely untrue".
He denied they had been threatened in any way.
According to Truter, Guiotto's dog had just completed a course and needed to go through a training exercise.
Loubser's dog had not yet undergone training, but they wanted to see whether it was suitable.
The trial continues.
- SAPA